Wing It
by AwesomeMcCoolname
Summary: We all know that the Flock isn't the only group of hybrids out there: Meet Trinity, a girl, and their group of Avian Americans. What's Fana? What's this to do with Fax? What's with Trin's past--and how does it tie in to the Angelus Project? Major OC/OOC.
1. Prologue

Hesitant, almost wary, a pair of feet alighted on the first of many cold, slick marble steps. The owner of the feet stood in a way that betrayed his inner turmoil and anxiety. Resting on the balls of his bare feet, his muscles tense and coiled, his body trembling and his knuckles white with anticipation and fear; this was how Trinity found himself in front of the building. His shredded jeans brushed his ankles as he took the first step closer to the towering church. His hair, soaked dark with rain, hung in his eyes but failed to block the young man's view of two huge mahogany doors.

His bare chest, pale under its tan, heaved with exertion—but not a single breath passed his lips, lips that were blue with cold. In contrast to the grey atmosphere, swollen ruby blood-drops rolled down his arm and back, flowing from the deep wound that extended from the side of his jaw, down his neck and wrapped around his shoulder to end at the base of his spine. Scarlet dripped from fingers that were curled into white, shaking claws at his side.

His vision swam, his head spun, but still he walked slowly up towards the doors. His body was numb from the cold, but he knew he was wounded. Badly. He'd lost a lot of blood, he was aware, but still he trudged on. Vaguely he knew he'd pass out in a few moments more…but he couldn't get the thought across to the part that was ruling his mind right now. He was on autopilot; it was all he could do to breathe correctly, let alone take two steps at a time.

Finally, swaying and slipping on the wet stone, he found himself in front of the doors he'd traveled so long and hard to find. He'd gained and lost friends on the way to his goal, and now he was here. All he had to do was extend his lily-white fingers, grasp the silver handle, and open the door. His joints cracked as they slowly curved around the handle; he tensed his shivering muscles, and he pulled. The door remained closed, obstinate in its unmoving presence. Again he pulled, but still it remained as if untouched.

He had no strength left.

For a few moments he stared despairingly at the carved wood before him, unable to make out the designs, but not caring—for a few more moments he leaned against their comforting strength. Then his knees gave out, and he clutched the wood in vain before collapsing onto the cold stone. A bloody hand came to rest beside his face; the crimson was a stark contrast to his alabaster skin, he noted with a detached sense of panic; but he was too tired to move again.

The trembling had ceased. His long form sprawled out in front of the church, and his eyes closed slowly, allowing a few hot tear-drops to roll out from under his lashes. The rain poured down ever harder, but he could hardly feel it now through his numb outer shell. The cross hung above him, as did the twin angels with their glorious wings spread in glorious splendor, but all this was lost upon him as his consciousness faded out of this world and into a much calmer, peaceful place of dreams and memories.

_I want to see the statues of those who'll bear my soul away upon their wings…_

A pair of wings curled around his body, sheltering him from the evils of this world.

_I want to hear the bells before I die…_

And so the bells tolled.


	2. Chapter 1: Plans

**A/N: **_Hey guys, this is Rachel speaking. Yes, I do realize that the grammar and spelling in my previous fan fiction ("What's Real?") stank like last year's socks. Well, that was last year. Now, I'm back with my friend Dreamz—and boy oh boy, we're pumping out some good stuff. As always, though, we have a long way to go until we're even near perfect, so we need _your_ help in getting better. Also, this is written through email; even though we do have a Beta, some errors/discrepancies might be accidentally missed._

**A/N: **_HI! This is Dreamz. I LOVE writing with Rachel. She's my awesome sister! I can't believe we wrote this or our other stories half the time, but it's amazing. Not much I can add onto what Rachel said except that she is AWESOME. Have I mentioned that yet? You go Supergirl!_

**Disclaimer: **We don't own _Maximum Ride. _We aren't Patterson. Or his ghostwriters. Or whoever.

**Claimer: **We own Trin, Kate, Dom, KIX, Beth, Sable, and that other girl, as well as any OCs you're _sure_ weren't in the four _Maximum Ride_ books. We also own the plot of this fic.

_I'd like to tell you now, that the character ages differ greatly from the books. Fang is seventeen, almost eighteen. Max is seventeen. Iggy is eighteen. Angel is eight, Max says she's still seven, Angel says she's nine. Gazzy is however much older than Angel he's supposed to be. Nudge is fifteen, ish. Ella is just barely seventeen. Ana is seventeen, Trinity is seventeen, almost eighteen. Dominic is sixteen, Kate is thirteen, KIX is twelve, but is turning thirteen soon enough. Sable is barely thirteen, Beth is fourteen._

_Because of the more mature older kids (Fang, Ana, Max, Iggy, Ella, Trinity), there might be some High T rated scenes and references. **However, we do not write lemons. **I should warn you now, though. So yes. There's a reason it was rated T._

_...And just because the older kids are so old, doesn't mean they always act their ages...  
_

Lastly, **Note:** _Book Four disregard._

_I present you:_

**Wing It**

Ow! Ow, ow, ow—did I say _OW?_

What was going on? We'd been asleep on the roof, and then… _Shoot! They found us!_

I sat up in my crate. _Dog crates again?_ Nice. Cold though. Where were we? _Eh, I'll figure that out later._

"Hey! Hey. Wake up!" I banged my crate against the one next to me, trying to wake the flock member inside.

I heard a soft moan and then a finger popped out of one of the holes in the crate. "That you?" The voice questioned blearily as the finger disappeared and a dark eye appeared in its spot. "What happened?"

I sighed in relief. "Of course it's me, who else would it be, stupid?" I banged our crates together again. "How should I know what happened? I thought you did."

"I thought you did!" Trin sighed and shifted in his cramped little box. I felt bad for him--he wasn't that small of a guy.

"Well, I don't." I scanned the rest of the room. "You see anybody else?"

"Well, I can sense Kate in the crate next to me... Hear her snoring, too." Trin chuckled.

I laughed. "Okay, so the three of us... Wonder who else is in here?"

"I don't know..." Trin sighed. "Why're they still using dog crates? I thought they had those newer, better, safer, more effective holding units..."

I did my best to do an impersonation of the last guy who got hold of us. "Must be the nostalgia, I guess..." It's hard not to laugh when doing such a nasal drawl.

"Hn..." He shook his head (I could see it through one of the holes in his box), chuckling. "So, plan?"

"Kick butt? I'm pretty sure that's on the agenda." I love my plans.

"I love your plans." Ah, joy! "We should probably find the others, too."

"Yeah, somewhere with the kicking butt, yeah, probably." I nodded. "Now, think it would get anybody's attention if I moved this thing around so I could get you out?"

"Probably, but it's worth a shot." He rattled the bars on his cage, poking his fingers out and wiggling them. "This is about as much as I can move, by the way."

I rolled my eyes. "Try to think outside the box." And thus I gracefully settled into the pattern of throwing myself against the sides of my crate until it shifted to where I could just barely reach his latch.

I couldn't help smirking. "See? Outside the box." I unlatched him.

Cue the evil scientists.

I have such wonderful luck. Maybe my name should be Jinx or something.

He quickly pretended to still be passed out, collapsing into a limp heap of clothes and hair. One of his hands was pressed gently against the metal bars of the cage door, lightly enough so as not to open it.

He really _was_ good at playing dead. Frightening, really.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" One of the whitecoats motioned towards the bulkier looking guys behind them. "How did it get over here? You should pay better attention to what you're doing! We could have lost it!" Rant. Rant. Rant, rant, rant. Rant all the way out the door and not even look at me...thank _you_.

"You can get up now."

Trin pushed the door open and crawled out, stretching.

"Crud, you look like h-e-double-hockey sticks!"

He looked at me with his dark blue eyes, his entire, beaten-to-a-pulp face saying, 'No,_ really_?' He opened my cage and smacked the top of my head teasingly. "You look worse," he said calmly, and sat back on his heels.

"Yeah, yeah." I laughed and walked over to unlatch Kate's crate before dumping her out unceremoniously on the floor. "Rise and shine!"

When she didn't move I frowned at Trin. He crept over and did his magic trick: he pressed in between her collarbone and neck. Immediately, she squealed softly and jumped, glaring at him. "No fair!" She grumbled. "You know I'm ticklish!"

"I know," he replied. "That's why I do it. Come on, we're busting out of here."

"Then let's get going!" I was at the vent, prying it from the wall. Why? Because it's big enough and it can't be as bad as the hallways.

"Where are KIX and Dom?" Kate asked as we waited for Trin to finish making the crates look like they still held us.

I put on a huge smile. "That's what we're gonna find out, Kate!" No clue, really. _I hope they're alright..._ "Trin? You done?"

"Yeah. Let's go." He ushered us into the vent and then followed after us, pulling the grate back on after him. "Turn left at the first chance," he whispered.

"Why left?" I obeyed anyway.

Instead of Trin, Kate answered. "Because we listened to you last time and you said right and then--"

"Yeah, yeah! I remember... Now we go right--" I put my hand down and slipped headfirst down a loud, steep incline. "HOLY SHOOOOOOT!"

"I _TOLD _YOU NOT TO GO RIIIIIGHT!"

"SHHH!"

**CRASH!** We burst through a vent in a ceiling and landed in a loud heap.

"I think our cover's blown."

"YOU DON'T SAY?" Trin glared at me from where he was tangled in our mass of limbs. Below us were muffled shouts, followed by snarls.

"Think we should get out of here?" Kate asked hesitantly.

"Kind of major 'duh' there, Kate," I muttered.

"Think we're doomed?" Trin popped in.

"Probably."

There were two doors, and I chose the best possible route of course. How did I know it was the best? Well, there wasn't as much noise coming from it.

"Come on!"

The others followed me and we pushed our way into the light.

**SMACK!**

"Hey!" _Shoot!_ We'd run right smack into somebody—Brilliant, girl. _Brilliant!_

Trin, being last in line, pushed his way to the front to see if the people were someone we knew, or trouble or what not.

What he saw, or what I saw he saw anyway, was a girl around the same age as him. (I'm guessing they're around the same age anyway.) They just keeping training their lackeys sooner and sooner don't they? She looked bossy and dirty, as well as young, and with her clenched jaw she looked almost as terrifying as Kate when woken up early.

"Get out of our way," Trin said calmly. "And we won't hurt you." He can be really scary—I kind of pitied the girl—but it didn't seem to faze her.

_I wonder if her name's Stupid... It should be._

"Why were you in the vent?" She asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"None of your business," Trin replied, and crossed his arms. "Now, if you'd please get on with the entire 'You're not escaping alive!' speech… Not going to? Well then, can I please escape?"

She frowned and a smaller voice from behind her spoke up. "Max? Max, I don't think they're a problem. They--"

"Trin! Kate!"

Trin blinked. "Huh?" He could be so dull sometimes, I swear...

"Yeah, it's us!" And so the rest of our flock joined us.

KIX elbowed his way forward from the back of the girl's group, dragging Dom with him. Dom gestured at the girl and gave us a thumbs up.

I nodded; if they hadn't hurt my flock, this was either a pretty good act or they were OK. I frowned. "What's up?"

The boy behind her—a tall, dark teen who was keeping an eye open for danger—turned to us and looked at me carefully. "Flyboys, 3 o'clock," he murmured.

I glanced before I really reacted. Too many years of being ticked going into action right there folks. "Aw, shoot!"

Trin sighed and crouched down.

I groaned. "We're fighting. Now? Can't they give us a little more time to figure out where an exit is?" I received silence and stony looks in reply. "You people have no sense of humor," I muttered.

There was a bang on the door closest to us. "It's 3 o'clock," I heard Trin mutter.

"Wonderful."

There was another bang.

"Nudge," the girl said shortly.

"Yeah, Max?"

"Take Angel and Gaz and get your arse out of here."

"What--why? Max! That is so not a good idea, I mean, seriously! We have more chance of surviving if we have safety in numbers and all of that stuff--"

"Do it because I told you to!" Max shot a glare at the dark-skinned girl, with a 'shut up and do it' kind of gleam. The girl shuddered.

_What the heck? Max, Angel, Gaz and Nudge? So that guy's got to be Iggs, then, and that emo-kid's Fang? Wow. Umm, interesting?_ For the past—oh, let's say our entire lives?—we thought Max's Flock was just myth and make-believe written by Patterson. _Boy, would the girls love this--_

_**Bang**_

_Now's not the time, girl. _I frowned. "You know, we could probably high tail it out of here before they get through..."

Trin shook his head. "The door's about to crack, and we'd never make it far enough. We can at least stay here and hold them off while the kids get away."

_...Spoilsport... _"I like my idea better."

"What is your idea?"

"We run for it now and kick butt if they manage to catch us. And we stood a much better chance of all of us getting loose ten seconds ago before this mini speech started."

"Ten seconds ago, I knew that we'd end up talking about this one way or the other. And it's better to fight with your face to your opponent, than risk getting shot in the back while you're turning to face them."

"Twenty seconds ago I knew we'd be having a roundabout conversation but I just had to talk anyway. I get it, but I still doubt it'd be an issue if we'd left sooner."

"Would you two shut it?" Kate grumbled. "We all know that you adore each other, stop faking."

I stared at her. "WHAT? What in the _world_ gave you that idea? He—I—GACK!"

Trin swallowed. "Um…Er… Whatever."

Kate tapped her foot impatiently. "I _said_ stop faking."

Luckily for us, the door finally gave way then.

Trin sprang into action, grabbing the Flyboy's head and snapping it off with his bare hands, while kicking it in the base of the spine. He dispatched three others before I'd even said "CHARGE!"

I'm not going to bore you with the details since this happens a lot more than it should. I will say, however, that Dom got an amazing hit in and that the new group was about as tough as us, and almost as in sync.

When all that was left of the Flyboys were sparking piles of wire bits, we ran.

"Dudes!" I yelled. "Find an exit yet?"

Dominic screeched loudly; a hair raising sound that thrilled to my every instinct. He jumped over the side of a stairwell and landed at a run, screeching again. We followed him. I nearly tripped once or twice but we all made it with minimal injuries.

"Keep going!"

My hand brushed against Trin's, and he looked down at me with a breathless grin. His eyes traveled backwards, and then he did a double take and threw me out of the way. "Watch—"

**BANG**

Trin gasped and staggered, crashing into a window. The glass shattered and he fell, eyes wide in shock as they met mine.

"Trinity!" I dove after him, without a second thought, and the others followed. My eyes were locked on my friend as he fell, and my only thought was _Oh Lord, don't let him crash._

Trin's eyes slipped closed, his hair whipping around his face as he went limp. Blood spattered against my face from his wound, flying away on the wind. I angled my body so that it was more aerodynamic, and shot through the air towards him. The others weren't nearly as fast as me--except that Max girl. She kept neck and neck with me, and then she shot forward, like a bullet: so fast that I couldn't even see her features. She grabbed Trin's jacket and yanked him upwards, into the air to avoid hitting the ground.

"Get outta here!" I yelled at her as I looped around. "Everybody, scramble, NOW! Contact the others somehow; we'll meet up with you!"

Dominic screeched at me and wheeled away towards the West. His dark peregrine wings pumped the air and he disappeared quickly, his amped speed taking him towards the coast. Kate went straight up and then North East, heading farther inland. KIX stayed with me until I shot him a glare, and then he shouted, "I CALL BETH!" and flew off.

I watched him fly off but whipped around again when I heard a groan. Trin was paler. "Fly, girl! I hope you know the nearest hospital."

Her face drained of all color. "What?" She shouted at me. "We can't take him to a--"

"We have to!" I glared at her. "You don't have to come: hand him over! But girl, he's going to _die_ if we don't get him help!" I fluttered my wings, slowing to a hover. She glared at me.

"She's right, Max," the boy named Fang murmured. "He's not looking good."

She hesitated.

"Come on!" I shrieked. "If he was one of your Flock what would you do?" She didn't have long before I tried to take him there myself.

She swallowed. "I can't carry him. But I know a hospital." I held out my arms for Trin.

The boy, Fang, frowned. "You can't handle him all the way either, we'll take turns."

"Fine!" I gripped Trin tighter in my arms and wheeled off as fast as I could.

_"This_ way!"

Blushing, I turned around and went the other way.

"Hold on, Trin..."

His head lolled against my chest as we flew, and I could feel his wings pressed against my arms where I held him. I could only hope that the bullet--or whatever--had missed his wings... But I didn't dare to slow down and check. Just the knowledge that the warmth in my arms was his life seeping out of him was enough to keep me strong and fast. My heart raced three times faster than normal, adrenaline coursing through me... Behind us, I could hear the alarms of Itex going off. I didn't care.

"Come on, come on..." I whispered into the wind. If we didn't get there soon...

Fang heard me. "Need help?" He held his arms out. I practically growled at him.

"I can manage!"

Instead of shouting at me or giving me one of _those_ looks, like what Max was giving me, he nodded understandingly. His dark eyes were warm with...empathy.

_Weirdo._

"What's your name?" He asked.

"Don't got one." I surged forward just a bit, hoping he'd take the hint. He didn't, of course. He flew right up beside me again.

"How old are you?" He asked, dropping the name subject but moving to another.

"Second oldest." I tried to get away again.

"We all made up our names," Fang continued. "I mean, Fang isn't my real name. And neither is Maximum for Max. Or Iggy for Ig's. You get the point. Most of us know our real names, via Itex hacking... but we keep our _real_ real names, the ones we picked for ourselves. Ages don't really matter, either."

"Can't you take a hint?" I spat at him. "I appreciate your interest, but just leave me alone."

There was a lurch then, as Trin shifted in my arms. I remembered then how he'd probably want me to be just a tad nicer to our fellow mutants. I sighed. "I know. I know, okay? I-I just don't know. Our real names...I don't think I can go by mine even if I did find it out! And--and I haven't found a name that fits yet, alright?"

"I understand." Fang nodded patiently. "But what should we call you?"

If possible I managed to fidget while flying. "Anything." The rest of my flock, and all of our friends just referred to me as...me. 'She', 'you', 'girl', 'hey'—anything to refer to somebody without using their name was what I was called. I was nameless. It didn't bother me...much. Not while it was just us, anyway.

"Hmm..." Fang thought for a moment, and then nodded. "How's Santana sound?" He asked. "They're the winds around here."

I glanced at him. "Sure. Whatever." I didn't really like the sound, but what should it matter what he called me? And... It _was_ a name.

"And then we can call you Ana for short," Iggy broke in.

"Can we just drop it now?" I muttered. "It doesn't matter. How much farther?"

"Not much," Max called back. "Can you see it there?" She pointed towards the horizon.

I did, so I nodded and tried to go faster. I was already pushing it. "Emergency room, right?"

"He's got a bullet in his back! What do you think?" Max rolled her eyes.

I grit my teeth. Yeah, stupid question. I angled down wordlessly and streaked towards the building.

Yes, I should have stopped and walked the last bit or something, but I didn't. Deal with it.

"Wait up!" The others hurried to follow me, but I didn't slow down. I landed right in front of the door, flapping a bit to steady myself. Trin was motionless in my arms, groaning softly in his unconscious state. I kicked the door open and hurried inside, going up to the first trustworthy looking person in scrubs.

"He was shot in the back," I panted. "He needs help. And we need secrecy."

She spun around aptly. "Golden, Tryherte, over here now!" I would have pondered over the names, but I was too hyped up. The others of Max's flock joined us, all panting.

"Do you ever slow down? Like, EVER?"

I shook my head and tried to follow Trin.

"No. You'll have to wait out here. I'm sorry." The words were in a quick, to the point, no arguing kind of tone.

No arguing? I beg to differ.

"What? No! I--"

"There's a reason we asked for secrecy." I could have jumped out of my skin. How in the world had Fang snuck up on me like that?

She sighed. "Fine. Get in here."

Didn't need to tell me twice. I was by that bed as soon as they had him laid down. Before they even started anything Max was in the way.

"His heart's fast, like ours, and he has wings. We have...air sacs; our blood's different, too." She sounded like either she'd done this before, or she was working from some list...maybe both. Of course, if she was the _real_ Max that would explain everything—but then again, they might have just adopted the names from the books…

I couldn't see the lady's reaction, because her face was focused on Trin's back as she worked his jacket off of him. She had to practically peel the slick material off of his wounded back, actually having to cut off the sleeve so she could pull the backing off. My worst fears were confirmed as I saw a mat of bloody feathers and shattered fragments of bone.

"His wing," I whispered, and bit my lip hard.

She kept working, inspecting the wound. She was all business. "You say your blood's different. How?"

"We've got avian DNA. We're like, 25% bird and 75% human."

That stopped her. "Ok...you're going to have to donate."

We nodded. Somewhere behind me I heard someone mutter something that sounded like "Déjà vu."

"I'll do it," Fang said.

"But--"

"You're dead on your feet," he said calmly. "Losing more blood and energy isn't a good idea for you."

I grumbled.

I went back to Trin's side and watched them work on him while Fang gave the doctors all the information they needed.

What was up with this guy? Why did he care? I was going to talk to Trin about this as soon as he woke up. And I _was_ going to help, somehow. He was my best friend, after all!

I brushed his hand with my fingertips. "Get better soon, dumbo."

Then, Trinity was pushed into surgery. Minutes seemed like hours; each breath I took, each beat of my fluttering heart seemed like eternity. My chest ached, and my eyes stung. I paced. I cracked my knuckles. Max's Flock ignored me, except for a single pair of dark eyes that seemed to pierce into my soul every time they met mine. I ignored him in turn, choosing to chew my lip and cast worried glances in the surgery room's direction.

Finally, Trin was wheeled back in and I helped slip him into one of the hospital cots. I took care to make sure he wasn't putting too much weight on his wing and shoulder, and listened to the diagnosis: He wouldn't be able to fly for a while, and they didn't expect him to wake up for maybe a day or two, considering the amount of anesthesia they had needed to keep him sedated. I listened to this as I pulled his flimsy, scratchy blankets up to his bare shoulders, and then stood by his head as the doctors checked the charts again and filed out.

The rest of Max's Flock was lounging around on spare beds, so I pulled up a chair and flopped down, resting my chin next to Trin. I could feel his steady breaths on my face, blowing tendrils of my hair. He looked so peaceful, unconscious. Usually, even asleep, he was worried about something or other or plagued with reoccurring nightmares. But now, totally, completely out cold, he was at peace.

Kinda sad.

I sighed and closed my eyes, exhaustion washing over me.

--

"Yo." Someone—Fang—was shaking me awake.

I was instantly on alert. "What? What is it?"

His face was annoyingly calm. "We need to talk to you."

Questions. _Great_...

"'s Trin OK?" I whispered as I followed him.

"He's going to pull through."

"Alright." I crossed my arms. "What now?"

"What were you doing in Itex? Have you always been there?" Max questioned as we positioned ourselves on some empty beds in the spare room. "I wouldn't think so, considering your group split up to different places where I assume you've got friends."

"What do you _think_ we were doing in Itex?" I scowled. "No, of course we haven't always been there. And my guys went off to safe houses, yes. I should be getting calls any minute now saying that they're safe."

"You could be lying. What safe houses? How did you come up with them?" She sounded dead serious.

I glared at her, my face becoming a mask. I was probably going to have to tell her about the Family at some point, but how much exactly should've been up to Trin. He should do the telling, but he was out cold...and peaceful...

I sighed. "How do you think we got safe houses? We know some safe people." There, that was a good answer. Very safe.

_"So _helpful," Iggy said sarcastically.

"Well, who knows? You guys could be tracking us for Itex. There's no way that I'd tell you anything right off the bat." I kicked a rolling table away and sat down heavily on the nearest empty bed. "'Sides. Trin's the one who came up with most of the places. If you want the accurate story, ask him. I only know about--" I shut up. My big fat mouth had been about to mention the Family.

Stupid mouth.

"The what?"

I spun around and started back over towards Trin's bed, but a strong hand grabbed my elbow. It was Fang again. "What?" Those piercing eyes met mine.

"You'll find out later." _Maybe. Most likely not._ I swear you could feel the tension in the room.

The little girl, with the cute angel face, was the one who broke it. "What's the Family?"

"It's something," I said airily. "A big ol' group of close-knit friends who're like a family."

I saw them exchange glances. Something about them gave me the impression they didn't know if they should be on guard or relax. Good for them.

I tried to be aloof. "That all the questions you got?"

"Not nearly," Fang said, and steered me back over to my bed.

I raised an eyebrow at him. I could not _get_ this guy, or any of the rest of his flock for that matter.

_Your friend's waking up,_ the little girl--the one with the gold hair and angel face--'s voice said into my head. _He's looking for you._

Didn't have to tell me twice. I was there in a heartbeat. "Trin?"

His face twisted in pain, and I immediately stroked his burning skin, trying to smooth away the crinkles in his brow. Tears began slipping out of the corners of his eyes; huge, hot droplets of pain.

"What happened?" He gasped, eyes still closed. "Where am I?"

"You got shot in the back as we were leaving ITEX. We had to bring you to the hospital--I'm sorry, Trin, but you were losing so much blood and your wing was damaged and there was no way we could have fixed you on our own..." I bit my lip as I heard his heart rate go up on that little beeping machine. "Calm down, or else they'll think something's wrong. Shh, calm down."

He took a few deep breaths and one of his hands found mine. He gave it a tremendous squeeze and opened his eyes.

"You okay?" I whispered, then bit my lip and shook my head. "Don't even bother answering that."

His lips twitched. "Good. I'd rather not insult you for that. You might hit me."

I laughed, it was a bit off. "You bet."

"I remember another group of kids...?"

"Oh! Yeah. Fang and them. They're here too. They...um...have some questions." I fidgeted. Should I wave them over? _He needs his rest..._ One of his eyebrows rose at the mention of Fang, and then he shrugged.

"Well, where are they? We owe them some answers, I believe." He grimaced as he struggled to sit up. I hurried to help him, my fingers burning against his skin.

"Here" I sighed and waved them over. "This is 'The Flock.'" [Insert meaningful look here] "And they helped us."

They each nodded or waved and Max pulled up a chair. "Are you sure you're in the shape for questions?"

"I'm sure I'm not," Trin replied coolly. "But I might be in worse condition later. Go on."

"Ok." She leaned forward, intent eyes glinting. "What's the Family?"

His eyes flicked towards me.

"I didn't say anything."

"If you didn't say anything, then one of them must be a mind reader."

The angel-girl nodded cheerfully. "Me! I'm Angel!"

"Hello, Angel," Trin said, and then looked at me again. "I think we should tell them, what do you think?"

I shrugged. "You're the boss, Trinity."

"The Family was started by our friends Bethany and Sable. The purpose of the site is for people like us, hybrids, to find friends and safety when we need it."

Someone let out a low whistle, I'm not sure who. "Wow."

The dark-skinned girl began whispering to Angel at an amazing speed. Her lips were practically blurred, and a buzzing sound was coming from her; that's how fast she talked. Angel, in turn, rolled her eyes and looked at us pointedly.

Max was looking at Fang. "With all your blogging did you ever hear of this?"

He shook his head. "A couple rumors, not much. I just thought it was role-players."

I snorted. "Some are, but we're all friends and we try to weed them out, and we all get along fine. They know we're real."

Trin's phone buzzed and he flipped it around. "It's Beth's number... Probably KIX. We told him not to mess with Beth's phone anymore," he muttered, and then pressed Talk and Speaker. "KIX, I told you not to--"

"It's not KIX, silly!"

"Oh! Hi Beth." I rolled my eyes at him and he shot me death glares.

"Hi Trin! This a bad time? I Know it is...isn't...I know! Squee! Tell the flock I say—You've got me on speaker phone! You are evil! Tell them I say hi, anyway! Oh, I'll shut up now."

Everyone stared at the phone.

"Nudge, I think we've found your twin."

"No." Trin shook his head. "She doesn't normally talk like that... Beth, KIX okay?"

"NO! I'm completely incompetent at my job. Of _course_ he's okay!"

"Hey, Beth. Could you explain a bit more about the Family to the Flock?" I asked.

She sounded like she was bouncing up and down. "Of course I can! And I will. The Family is a group of friends who...wait. What all do you know already? I mean, what do _they_ know? What questions do I got to answer?"

"They know this exactly: 'The Family was started by our friends Bethany and Sable. The purpose of the site is for people like us, hybrids, to find friends and safety when we need it.' That's about it." Trin shrugged.

"What do you guys do? I mean, how can you give safety to people you don't even know?" Fang asked.

"Ok, well first of all you got the definition pretty down pat. And secondly--No! You can't have the phone. Go play with KIX. Ok, sorry. Babysitting. Anyway, secondly, we help them as they find our site and we talk with them and give out numbers and organize and everything."

She just kept talking!

"We become a bit like pen pals, but kinda like _mega_ pen pals that can help. A lot of us aren't normal to begin with so it's easier to get connections and understand. Jeez, we've helped a lot just by being an extra ear. We give out locations and then when they need it they find us. It's kind of simple once you think about it. Got that?"

"Yup--but what do you mean by 'not normal to begin with'? How many people are involved in this? How many mutants?"

"Uh...can I just skip how many exactly? I don't know. I don't keep _that_ much track on the details... I do know we got plenty though. And the not normal is, well, not normal. That's kind of hard to explain too... We're pretty diverse. Just rest assured nobody's really _'normal'. _Unless you're told otherwise, we're all weird."

"Hey, Beth, hold on a mo... I'm getting another call..." Trin switched to the next call and said, "Hello, this is Trinity."

_"SCREEEEEEECH! SCREECH SCREEECH SCREECH SQUAWK SKREEEE-KREEE-KREEE!"_

"Dom!" Trin laughed. "Shut up before you break the windows."

"Squawk..."

"Translation:" a third voice said, "'what the h-e-double-hockey sticks are you doing up? You were shot in the back just a few flipping BEEEEEEEEEP...'" The girl's voice laughed and there was a smacking sound. "Watch your language, bird brain! Anyway, what's up?"

"Sable, hold on, let me put you on conference call..." Trin pressed a button. "Beth? Sable? You both hear me alright?"

"OMG Beth! HI!"

"OME! HI Sable! Long time no call!"

I clapped my hands. "Can we please get things back on track?"

Trin nodded. "Ok, guys, I know it's been a while, but can you focus? Please?"

Both girls took a deep breath, and let it out at the same time. "So, what's going on? How come you're up? And why in the world isn't _she_ yelling at you to go to sleep again?"

"I don't always mother him," I muttered.

"Whatever."

"Sable, you'll never guess who's sitting in the room here."

Faintly: "Skreee..._Click click_."

"You know I can't understand you like that! But let me guess... The President?"

"Nope!"

"Ooh! _Ooh_! I know! Can I tell her? _Please_? Pretty please?"

Trin chuckled. "Sure. Go ahead, tell her."

"Do I wanna know?" Sable muttered.

"Yes you do! Yes you do! Sable, it's _them_! It's _THE_ Flock!"

For a few moments there was complete silence. Then, three words: "Oh...holy...FREAK."

"Hullo," Iggy said simply.

"Ig...gy?"

"Cha."

"FANG! OMG! YOU COMMENTED ON OUR OLD BLOG BUT I THOUGHT YOU WERE JUST JP OR ONE OF HIS AGENTS AND OMG I'M SUCH A DORK!"

"Sable...Calm down," I laughed.

Beth was laughing hysterically. "OMIGOSH! This is INSANE! I can't believe we're talking to you and, and, and....OME We're such fan girls!" More laughter.

Max was staring at the phone. "What the...?"

"Don't worry," I muttered. "They'll calm down very quickly, get down to business, and only freak out again the first time you meet them in person."

"I don't know," Fang said, leaning back in his chair. "I kinda like this. Hey Sable, what's your email?"

"SEXIST PIG!" Max slapped him upside the head.

"Sorry Fang," Sable squeaked. "I respect Max's fists and feet more than I wanna humor you."

"I like you," Max said to the phone.

"What about Beth! She needs someone to like her!"

"I like her!" Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy and Angel chorused.

Beth giggled. "Aw, thanks. And you know, Trin has our emails, so..."

"BETH!"

"Anyway, so, back to my original questions--"

"I'm fine, Sable," Trin sighed. "And the Flock still has a few questions for you, I gather."

"Alright. Shoot."

"How old are you?" Fang asked casually.

"13 and Beth's 14. And no, that's not a valid question."

"Darn. Hey! I was just wondering!" Fang held his hands up in defense as Max threatened him with a pillow. "My real question--are _you_ normal?"

"Does it _sound_ like she's normal?"

"I think I am," Sable said quietly. "Others beg to differ. And yes, Beth, I'm pointing at you."

"How can you be pointing at me? I'm WAAAY over here. You must be pointing at Dom."

I sighed. "Why do you beg to differ, Beth?"

You could practically hear her rolling her eyes. "Because she's not. Not really. She's more normal than some people, but she's not. And it's more than she's just amazingly awesomely nice and rules and stuff. It's something else; you just can't quite place it though."

"Anyway," Sable continued. "Next question."

"Why?" Max asked. "Why help people like us?"

"Why not?" Sable countered. "I'm _human._ I _help people._ I'm _smart,_ I'm _compassionate,_ I'm all that stuff that we're supposed to be but nobody actually is. Ideally, if all mankind was like what they're supposed to be, we'd all be helping you. But unfortunately, mankind isn't perfect and you guys are out on the streets, getting chased down by evil scientists. I'm not saying Beth and I or any of us Family are perfect, but we've got some of those qualities, and we're using them. It's partly to keep myself sane that I do this--I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't help you. But it's also because it's just _right._ End ramble."

That's my Family.

Fang gave a low whistle. "So...how did you find out about this? The books? Our blog? What?"

Beth answered this time. "For me, it was both. I found the books which I thought were a cool story and your blog introduced me to blogging. From there I checked out sites after a while and found the people that would make up the start of the Family, and around that time was when I finally came to terms that I was...different. I decided I was something else and I had issues with it and they helped a lot, even though I don't think they realized it. They helped me come up with a word too: Psychic. But our use of it is a bit general."

"How come you never commented to tell us about this?" Max asked.

"_Fang_ commented _us_ and _never_ showed up _again_." Beth pointed out. "We did at first, but then it was a sort of an 'ah, forget it' sort of deal, you know? If they're gonna ignore us, why bother? You have so many commenters too..."

Everyone turned around to glower at Fang.

"What? I told you, I thought they were RPers...and that was before they were the Family." He crossed his arms. "Anyway, I didn't know they had such sweet sounding girls—ALRIGHT ALRIGHT! I'll shut up!" He glared at Max.

Beth laughed again. "Well, that answers _my_ question. What next? Sable, you got a question?"

"Besides the stuff that Max would kill me over? Not real--OH!" Sable gasped. "When are you guys coming over? I'm guessing that you are, since you all seem to be alright and usually you regroup after splitting like this. Well, except Trin, but you can rent a car again or something, I guess."

I glanced at Trin and said, "As soon as he heals."

Fang nodded. "We'll stay with Ana and Trin, so no worries. We'll meet up with you, too."

Max shot him death glares.

"Ana--OH! You mean you finally got a name?" Sable sounded surprised.

"Shucks," I muttered. "Yeah. Fang named me. Santana?"

"Yup. They're the--"

"--winds around here! Guys, where _are_ you? You can't be that far... That, or the Santa Anna winds go far and Dom had a sugar rush to fly so fast." Sable snickered at her own comment.

"I have no clue, and even if I did you know that we can't tell you over the phone, Sable," Trin said. "But anyway."

"Well, could you find out where you are and head towards us?" Beth offered. "You _have_ to have our locations memorized by now."

"We're in Parker, Arizona," Angel piped up.

"Hmm... Which one of you guys are we closer to? My mental map isn't working right," said Trin.

There was a pause. "I _think_ I am." Beth mumbled

"Cool. Trin, how long till you're _actually_ healed, not when you're half-healed and want to get out of here?" I asked my friend. He chuckled and shrugged, holding up five fingers. "Five days?" He nodded, shrugging yet again. I sighed. "Ten days."

"Alright, that gives you ten days to get ready, Beth," Sable said cheerfully. "Remember the mint-chocolate-chip ice cream!"

Trin blushed crimson. "That was only once!" He said weakly.

I grinned. "And yet you managed to eat fourteen buckets of that stuff."

"Uh-oh... We ate the rest of that at the party. We made milk shakes..."

"What? Aw, man! I mean, uh...too bad?"

The Flock was sniggering amongst themselves.

"Ok, so I need ice cream. Anything else I need to stock up on?"

"How about--" Trin shut up with my glare. "Nothing, Beth."

"Ok, if you say so...Oh, shooot! Mom's home. How in the world am I supposed to explain--?"

_"Bethany!"_ A distant voice cut into our conversation,

"Oh, _shoot_. Bye. Call you back."

**Beep**.

"Bye Beth," I sighed.

"So... Should I just keep Dom to myself?" Sable asked.

Trin and I spoke at the same time. "If possible."

There was a sad screeching sound on the other end.

"I think you guys hurt his feelings," Sable said.

I shook my head. "No, no, no. Dom, it's best if no one finds out about you unless they have to. We'll come get you sometime; you'll get a better time set when we manage to drag KIX and Trin away from Beth's place."

Trin glared at me. "Who ate all the Oreos last time?"

"Who was the one who _dared_ them to?" I shot back.

"Bickering like a married couple, you are. Dom sends his hugs--we have to go. Dad's home. Got to go explain to him that Dom's back." Sable yawned. "See you guys! Stay safe--"

"Bye." Everyone in the room echoed before she hung up.

"So." I turned to face Fang. "Any more questions?"

"Not really at the moment, other than what hotel do you prefer?"

I shrugged. "Anything with a bed, preferably cheap and easy to guard."

"Cool. Iggy, Gazzy, Nudge, you guys go get some rooms." Max took over, giving the others a credit card and some other stuff.

That's when it dawned on me that someone was missing. I glanced around. "Hey, anyone seen Kate?"

"She flew off, remember?" Fang rolled his eyes. "North East, to be precise."

"Can you even spell precise?" I muttered, and blushed.

"Let me check my email," Trin muttered. "Maybe she stopped for a break and emailed us...? Kay, here--voicemail..."

_**Beep**_

_"Hey! You there? Lady! Trin! Anyone? Shoot--they've followed me--I'm heading to Area 5-3-K-P. Shoot, they found me again! Bye--" _and then there was a curse, and she hung up.

I froze. "Aw shi--oot. Shoot." I ran my eyes over Trin, reevaluating how long it would take for him to heal. "If she doesn't call back soon..."

Trin bit his lip as he began typing on his phone. "I'll put a post up...Let's hope someone replies..." He sighed and looked at me, eyes dark with worry.

"I just hope that _5-3-K-P _is still inhabited," I muttered.

Max interrupted us. Goes to show who has the most manners around here. "Area 5-3-K-P? Explain."

"Area 5-3-Keep-Praying." I sighed. "It was one of our first aeries--places we could stay, where we blended in. They're not really _safe houses,_ per say, but they're safe-er places than usual. It was also where another group of mutants were staying, and they helped us out. They're mostly adults, and they can't really take us in, since they get their own apartments and hotel rooms, and can't really take care of more than their own people. We haven't heard from them in forever, though, and we haven't been there in a long time... We actually think it's abandoned by the other group. The 'K-P' part of the name is what we label the places that have 'gone cold': the places that belong to people who're either dead, missing, or who we're unsure about. It's basically "Keep your fingers crossed"."

"53--it's one of the fifties, and it's an odd number. That means that we think ITEX is aware of it now. It's unsafe," Trin said darkly.

I fidgeted. My wings ached. I wanted to be out there, helping my flock. But Trin was hurt--I couldn't just leave him. I was torn.

Angel tugged on Max's sleeve. "_Maaaax_. They're really worried and we could help."

"How, sweetie?" Max asked, her face melting.

"Can we split up? We could--"

The melting look was abruptly gone. "No."

"But--"

"No, Angel." Fang cut in, tone as hard as steel. "Not again."

"Angel," I sighed, "the best thing you guys can do for us is just... Be our friends," I suggested lamely. _Geeze, what a sap I am..._

"No! We can help! I know we can! Max..." She pouted. "Please? They're really worried."

Max shook her head. "Ange, no. We're all worried, too, but it'll be best if we all go as a group anyway, 'kay?"

"…Fine."

"Someone's coming," Trin whispered, and leaned back into his pillows. "Not one of us."

"Must be the doctor," I said, but stood and tensed, ready to defend Trin--just in case.

It was one of the doctors from before. "Hello there." He smiled at us while he checked Trin's charts. "How's it going? Didn't expect for you to be up."

"We heal quickly," Trin said tersely.

The doctor nodded, and looked down at his clipboard. "Alright, now… We need some information, you see…"

"_More_ questions?" I heard Max mutter.

"Well…" I bit my lip. "Since you guys are helping us, I guess we owe you… But no experiments, or tests, or anything. Just questions."

The man nodded. "Of course."

The guy was now taking a look over Trin's back, frowning slightly. He was a good actor. He wasn't freaking out. "You don't owe us anything, and we aren't going to do anything to upset you, not on purpose anyway." He wasn't looking at us, still focused on Trin. "We just want to be able to help, and questions are a part of that since we've never had to treat anyone quite like you before." He smiled again. He was a likeable guy. I found myself smiling back at him, though hesitantly.

"Alright, what do you need?"

"Well, what exactly are you, and how did you get this way?"

The whole room tensed.

"Okay, calm down. You don't have to answer that one."

"I like you," I said after a moment. "Next question."

"Do you have any parents?"

"Maybe. Most of us don't know, and for all intents and purposes, no, we don't." Touchy subject, too.

"Alright." He nodded slowly. "So, do you have a place to stay? How do you take care of yourselves?"

"We stay wherever we can," Trin explained, and hissed as the man prodded his injured wing. "We--er, _found--_a credit card, and we haven't run out of money yet. We can't stay in one place for very long, though."

He frowned. "That can't be safe. It's amazing you've lasted this long. I could--"

"Tryherte! Tryherte, get over here now! You are--"

"--dead. I know, I know." He nodded at us. "See you later. I still have more questions."

Now, my stomach rumbled and, as if in agreement, everyone else's did too.

Fang stood and stretched. "There's this café I spotted down the street," he said through his yawn. "Free Wi-Fi and probably inexpensive food. Also a McDonald's down the road."

I looked at Trin, not at all willing to leave him alone—but also extremely hungry and knowing that hospital food sucked eggs. Trin blushed and looked down at his stomach, just before it let out a huge roar. "McDonald's sounds awesome," he muttered. "You know what I usually get."

I snickered. "That I do." Trin was touchy about his appetite; it was larger than all of ours put together, but he was the skinniest of us all. We made fun of and complained about it often.

"I'll stay," Max offered. "Fang, you, and Angel can go get the food, and I'll stay and bug—I mean hang with Trin and keep guard."

"Fine." I glared at Trin on my way out the door. "Don't push yourself." Translation: _Don't you dare spill your guts while I'm gone._

He nodded, and I followed the others out of the hospital and towards the much wanted prize--food.

Fang, Angel and I walked out, down some stairs and out into the street. "Alright, oh all powerful Fanginator, lead us to the food!" I said imperiously. Angel giggled and Fang smirked, turning heel and trotting off down the sidewalk towards the heavenly scent of junk food.

He paused in-between the café and McDonalds before heading into the latter. Before I could ask why, he answered me. "It's cheaper."

"Ookay…" I shrugged and followed.

Fang got a ton of food and then enlisted me and Angel to help carry it. Apparently, because it was take-out, the management didn't have a problem with our "over-order." Of course, I don't think anyone working at a McDonalds would actually _care,_ but still.

"Alright, let's stop by the hotel and see if they've gotten a room yet," Fang suggested. We nodded. "Angel, would you do the honors?" He took the bags of food she'd been carrying, and then Angel skipped off down the sidewalk towards a hotel. It was a nice looking one, but I knew it to not be too expensive. We met Gazzy and Iggy on their way out, and they crowded around the food.

"Glorious food!" Gazzy cried, doing a little jig.

I laughed. "Save some for the others."

Iggy spoke to Fang, grabbing some bags. "Nudge's up in the girls' room, sleeping."

"Ok." Fang handed them most of the bags. "Keep together and keep safe, we'll be back." He nodded at me, and then we started back to the hospital.

As we left I'm sure I heard Iggy say "What else are we going to do?" But neither Fang nor I said anything.

I looked up at the sky as we walked, watching a bird fly by. "How'd your flock meet up?"

Fang glanced up also, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Rhetorical question, right? I mean, I assume you've at least _heard_ about the books, judging from previous behavior..."

"Well, you're extremely talkative--the books could be wrong about other things, too."

"Touché. Well, _that_ part is like the book." He sighed. "What about you?"

I shrugged. "Much the same. Most stories are. Or at least the ones I've heard."

"Have you heard a lot?" He asked curiously. "I'm still having trouble with believing that there are that many of you." A thought seemed to occur to him. "Are any of them the ones we busted out of the place in New York--?"

I shrugged, not meeting his eyes. "Some are for sure and some just claim to be. You can't believe every story. That's just the way the group works, you get used to it."

"If you say so." He sighed and looked away. "Max and I are doomed, aren't we? Just want an unbiased opinion, you see." Under his breath came a gloomy; "Like I actually _want_ to hear it..."

"I don't know. I think you are doomed, but there's still the chance that it can work out somehow." I elbowed him. "And even if it doesn't, you have a fan club now! Remember Sable and Beth?" I laughed.

He cracked a smile and chuckled, elbowing me back. "You're so lucky," he said after a few moments of teasing jibes. "You have friends, and safety, and all that… How'd you guys meet? Did you share the same room or something in the School?" He angled his path down towards a park.

I shrugged. "KIX and Kate were together for a while, and then they moved KIX in with Dom and Trin and Kate in with me. We got to know each other a little when they did group experiments." I wrinkled my nose. "Who was stronger and who was most social and all that. Trin was the mastermind behind getting us all out." I smiled. "Not that he'd admit it of course, and if you ask KIX it was all _his_ idea."

Fang chuckled. "KIX sounds fun. What'd Trin come up with?"

"Trin had been out before, so he'd got a vague plan." Fang's eyebrows shot up. "He won't tell us much about the time he was out of ITEX, but I think that's where he got both his name and his necklace. Not too sure how long he'd been out of ITEX, though. Maybe a few years—and I don't know how he got out in the first place," I added as Fang opened his mouth to speak. "You should ask him. I don't know if he'll tell you or not. I haven't tried asking him. History is kind of a touchy subject with us, you know."

"I see." He nodded with such a book version Fang expression that I had to laugh. When I'd finished laughing, we were at the base of a huge tree. Fang peered up into its branches. "Race you to the top," he said slyly, glancing at me out of the corner of one dark eye.

"You are _so_ on—HEY! Cheater!"

I raced up after him but he kicked my butt soundly, there was no doubting that he'd won.

"Cheater."

"So what?"

I rolled my eyes and looked at the view. "This is nice."

"Yeah..." Something about his tone was off. I looked back at him.

"Fang. What are you thinking?"

He peered up through the swaying leaves absently at the pinkening sky. For a few moments I thought he wasn't going to tell me—the book Fang sure wouldn't—but then he exhaled and leaned down from his higher branch to hang above me. "I won't tell you unless you admit that you're in love with Trinity."

I turned scarlet and scowled at him. "Why should I tell you?" I demanded.

"Because both of our partners are idiots and won't accept us. I have a plan." He leaned closer, adjusting his grip on the tree branch he was holding on to. "Come on. Everyone already knows."

I sighed and looked down, watching my feet dangling a million feet above the ground. "Fine. I like him, yeah."

"Good enough." Fang chuckled and dropped down to the branch in front of me to be on eyelevel. "Here's my plan..."

I could have wrung his neck right then and there; he was making me so antsy. "Stop pausing and spit it out already, it can't make things worse." Somehow, my tone wasn't anywhere near as annoyed as I really was. My tone mirrored his.

He smiled slightly. "Ok, then my plan is that we pretend to get together. Just to get their attention, you know." The leaves rustled in the breeze. "What do you think?"

I bit my lip for a second. "You basically want to make them jealous?" His eyes flashed with amusement and he nodded.

"I guess you could call it that." I remember Max's reaction, or at least the one she had in the book, to Fang's love interests. It didn't quite work out the way Fang had planned then, but then again he hadn't had a partner in crime before. I grinned at him.

"Count me in."

"Awesome!" He leaned in and pecked my cheek, grinning like an idiot. "Got to get some practice!"

I made to swipe at him, but he dropped from the tree and fell heavily to earth before I could touch him. I jumped down after him, only to find that he was jogging back down the sidewalk. He threw a taunting glance at me and I rolled my eyes, chasing after him.


	3. Chapter 2: Fright and Flight

**A/N:** _I'm so sorry we haven't updated in months. We had some writer's block, and we had to finish our original novel and have our editor start editing, and that's going slow... and we haven't been inspired...etc. Excuses abound. Anyway, here's Chapter 2!!_

* * *

It wasn't until we got all the way back to Trinity's hospital room that we realized we hadn't brought back any of the bags and had left them with Iggy. The only reason we realized this is because somehow he had managed to come ahead of us and dropped off a bunch of them.

Max was eyeing us suspiciously. "Where'd you go? It took you so long to get back we figured you had a big haul." I shrugged.

"Oh, here and there. We didn't notice we were late, I guess we were talking too much."

Trinity raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that sort of an oxymoron? Both of you, talking too much?" His eyebrow wavered dangerously below his bangs, threatening to disappear into his hair.

"It can happen." I smiled at Fang, and Trin's expression only got darker.

You really should have seen it; his eyebrows went from the top of his head one moment, then plunged down to crease his brow. It was all I could do to keep from giggling.

Fang's lips twitched and he brushed my hand with the back of his quite obviously as he crossed to sit on one of the free beds.

Watching Trin and Max's eyes grow even wider I slipped over beside him. Then, pretending not to notice or care about the others, I spoke. "Wasn't the sky so pretty?"

"I wasn't paying attention to the sky," Fang said suggestively, and smirked at me.

I couldn't help but blush and smile goofily. It was because I was trying to hide laughter--really! I couldn't think of what else to say, so like an idiot I looked down at our hands. Somehow they had managed to overlap while Fang was speaking and while normally I would have moved my hand this time I didn't. And, knowing the others were watching, he intertwined our fingers and smirked at me.

Max suddenly had a very bad cough.

"So." Trin's voice was expressive, and I glanced up to see his face stormy and his expression almost pained.

"Yes? Hey, Trin, are you sure you're ok? Should I get them to come look at you again?" I started to head towards the door.

"No!" He nearly got up, throwing an arm out to catch my shirt and drag me back. "I've been poked and prodded all day, and every part of me aches. You are _not_ leaving this room." His dark eyes flashed.

"Fine." I pulled out of his grip and went right back over by Fang. "But what's up?"

For a few moments he stared at me disbelievingly, and then he looked down at one of his bandaged hands. "I got an email."

"From who?"

"Mason and Bella. They found Kate fighting and saved her, but she's not in good condition. And they're in danger." He bit his lip and his fists clenched. "Anthony, Cedric and Lisa are dead. Mason and Bella are the only ones left, and they just escaped…and now they're in danger."

I sat up straighter automatically, a chill running down my spine as fire flashed behind my eyes. "How long will it take to meet up with them? What's the plan?"

"I was waiting for you to come up with the plan. They couldn't say much, but from what I gathered they're in area 51KP now and moving southwest—southwest, you know, 'cause there are less ITEX facilities out in the plains. I have no idea how long it'll take."

"Ok, ok." I rubbed my temples. "So....we should either go to them or we should tell them to meet us somewhere. Beth's house maybe? We were headed there next."

"51 KP is already closer to us than to Beth's, and they're moving closer towards us every day. Do you think we could intercept them and then drag them along to Beth's with us? We'd be able to pick them up quicker than they could get to Beth's if they headed straight there right now, and then strength in numbers," Trin suggested.

I nodded. "Nice. Let's go with that."

Suddenly, the door opened and all of the lights flipped on—we'd only been using one pair, right above Trin's bed. Tryherte was in the doorway, eyebrow raised, dressed in street clothes. "And let me guess, you keep long hours too?"

"Night owls, ya know?" Fang cocked a taunting, slightly amused eyebrow.

"Well, I couldn't help but overhear you guys," Tryherte said, sobering. "There is no way you can fly or make it there in your condition, Trin, and none of you will be able to carry him. You can use my car." He dangled the keys. "You can trash it, too. I'm supposed to get a new one whenever someone steals this one, soo…" He grinned shyly.

Iggy perked up from where he'd been napping. "Can I drive?"

The resounding "NO!" didn't even get him to stop asking...

"Sheesh!" I huffed. "You even ask that in your sleep. Hmph. _My_ Flock's better trained, Max."

"Yeah right!"

"Wanna bet?"

"I bet fifty." Fang smirked.

"On whose side?" I asked.

His eyes widened innocently.

"Seventy, here," Trin said, raising a hand.

"Eighty!" Fang countered.

"Ninety!"

"We are _so_ more in sync than you. A hundred!" I laughed.

"Darn it, I'm broke," Fang muttered. By now, Tryherte had made his excuses and was down the hall, supposedly going to make his dinner in the hospital kitchen.

I smirked and poked him in the ribs. "You've got a limit!" I sang teasingly.

He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled my closer, grinning. "Are you sure?"

I'd previously been standing, and was now hooked into Fang's lap. His knees were on either side of my hip, and I was facing sideways. His hands were clasped around my waist, my gut clenching at his touch. His warm skin through my jacket sent fire tingling down my spine. My breathing hitched just enough to be noticeable by the other occupants of the room, and I could feel a cold, tense anger rolling off of Trinity in waves. Max, in turn, was seething.

Fang didn't seem to care.

One hand was a bit too high on my ribs for comfort, but at the same time there was a pleasant chill going through me as his fingers stroked my jacket whenever I took a breath. My wings, previously freed from my outer jacket that didn't have holes, were taut and trembling. My eyes were wide.

"Fang..." I glanced at the others from under my lashes, trying to tell myself that it was just a show and didn't mean anything. Try telling my heart that.

"Yes, Ana?" His voice was low, rough. His smile was addictive. Darn.

Stupid heart.

"Um….don't you think…this is a bit…_much_?" I shivered, and tried to lean away from him, unable to stop my heart and the smile on my face. Darn.

"Hmm… _No_."

His lips pressed against mine, and my eyes snapped shut, the hand that had previously been resting on his shoulder tightening around the nape of his neck. In turn, his hold on me loosened for a moment as if on instinct, as if he was going to let me run—but I didn't run.

Oh no.

I slapped him.

"You _sexist pig!" _I gasped, turning beat red. My words seemed to break a spell. As if they had been held in time the others all ganged up on him at once.

"Fang!"

"How could you?"

"Jerk!"

Who didn't say anything? You guessed right; a very confused, angry Trinity.

I hopped up from that bed before either he or Fang could say anything and stomped off down the hall and outside, taking off quickly.

My powerful wings beat the air, and after a few powerful strokes the wind caught me and I shot up into the sky. My wingtips skimmed across the ledge of the hospital's roof, and I did a quick 360 before landing there, on the edge, wings spread and pumping a bit to keep my balance. My hair spun around my face, and I watched the night city with hawk-like, wary eyes. This was my kingdom—Trinity's nickname for me was Shadow Princess, because of the many nights we'd spent alone together, lording over this dreamscape.

Shadows. Fang.

Darn him! Stupid guy, we'd only just agreed to work together, and he was already holding me and kissing me! Blech!

Instinctively, I reached up to wipe my mouth and spit. I stopped my hand before I reached my face, and then slowly touched my lips. They tingled. I ran my tongue over my buzzing mouth, and blanched when I tasted him. _Ugh ugh ugh!_ I shouted at myself, at the same time as mentally screaming with primal delight.

As soon as I collected myself enough to face everyone I glided down and walked right back in, having just enough time before I got to the room to set my face into a stony mask. I wasn't a coward. I wouldn't run or pretend like it didn't happen; I just need to get my act together before I had to face everything. I didn't want Fang, it was just work. He felt nothing, he was a sexist pig!_ That _I wanted.

_No!_

I turned the corner and was in the doorway.

"Hey."

Max and Fang looked up; Iggy had left, and Trinity was curled on his side, his wings to me, his head hidden in the crook of one of his elbows. His blankets were drawn up to his chin, and he looked so small—so fragile. He didn't move as I spoke, but I could just _feel_ him tense when I entered the room.

Fang's eyes widened a fraction, and then he winced, looking away. There was a nice, hand-shaped mark on his cheek from where I'd hit him. _Good,_ I thought to myself severely. _Let that be a lesson._

"Fang, you and I are _so_ going to talk later. You are skating on thin ice." I shot a pointed glare at him, and then turned worried eyes at Trin. "Is he asleep—?" I asked hesitantly.

"Yes," Max murmured, her eyes softening a tiny bit. "We were just about to leave and let him rest. Tryherte promised to stay here and keep watch over him, mostly because Trin woke up five minutes ago and was totally disoriented, and his heart went all weird…" She trailed off and looked at her lap.

"I should stay—" I said immediately, but then Max shook her head.

"I suggested that. He said no."

"Pointedly." Fang seemed depressed.

My heart recoiled, and I stared at him in shock. "What? But I've always—I mean…" I couldn't finish, my chest tightening. For a few strained moments, I blinked owlishly into the suddenly bright, swimming room. Then, I said, "Let's go to the hotel." I turned heel and flipped off the lights so they wouldn't see my glistening eyes.

Max went down the hall first, then Fang. I held the door, glancing over my shoulder as it closed. I couldn't really see, but I thought I saw the white lump that was Trinity's shoulders shake with what looked like suppressed sobs. As I turned, I pushed my suddenly distressed thoughts to the back of my mind, and took off after Max and Fang in the direction of the hotel.

--

"Talk."

I'd cornered Fang in my room (I got one to myself, because Max's Flock was all sleeping in another) and had my hands on my hips, feet planted shoulder width apart, jaw set and eyes narrowed.

"Now."

"Ana, I'm sorr--"

"What in the world was that for?" I exploded at him, yet not quite loud enough for the others to hear. "I know we're supposed to be working together but that--THAT was uncalled for! You SEXIST PIG!"

"I didn't--"

"Didn't what? THINK? You know what? I can see why Max don't like you, bonehead!" He caught my wrist, and put a finger over my mouth.

"Can I talk for a minute?"

I jerked away and said nothing, just glared at him. I tried not to reveal that my heart was pounding against my ribs not with anger, but with something else—something lit by the husky, soft edge to his voice.

"Look. I know that was stupid, and uncalled for, but I was caught in the moment—"

I gave a wordless shriek, and he winced, feathers rising in annoyance. He looked away, simultaneously pressing me back into the wall a little bit.

"I've done that with Max so much that I…forgot myself. You probably noticed how I let you go like I was going to let you run away?" I nodded, eyes still narrowed. "I'm so used to that…" he trailed off, looking up through his dark eyes to explain the rest without words.

I gave a long frustrated sigh. I just couldn't be mad at him when he looked at me like that. "Fine." I ran a hand through my hair and looked through the wall as if I could see through it to Max. "Just remember I'm not _her_."

"I know," he said softly.

I looked back at him again. Darkly, I muttered, "You better."

For a few moments we didn't speak, then he touched my cheek then walked to the door. "Night," he called, and left.

Work over, I flopped onto my bed and pulled the pillow close to me, burying my face in its feathery softness. Why had Trinity been crying when I left? Why'd he refuse my staying with him? Was this team-up with Fang really the right thing to do, when it quite obviously was hurting Trin—who was both my brother and _much, much more?_ Tears gathered in my eyes, and I sighed in frustration. "Stupid boys," I muttered.

That pretty much solved it. Boys were at the root of all my problems.

Just as I was about to start my problem-solving thought reel, there was a knock at the door. Another frustrated sigh passed through my lips and I sat up, throwing the pillow into the corner (I'd shoved the bed so that it was pressed up against the wall in the corner. It was nest like. That's how this bird kid likes it) as I stood up and stomped over to the door.

I looked through the peephole, and my feathers bristled.

It was Max.

"Oh, crud." I grimaced, rolled my shoulders back, and opened the door. "What do you want?" I snapped. Should I? Probably not. But I was in a snappy mood.

"To talk."

"Brilliant!" I plastered a large, super fake smile on my face. "Come in!"

As soon as she was inside the room I shut the door firmly behind her. This was going to be a long night. Apparently she agreed. She looked about as relaxed as I was with her arms crossed standing in the center of my room.

"Where'd the happy face go?"

"I lost it."

"I thought I was the only one who ever lost those things."

"Apparently not." I narrowed my gaze and sized her up. She was about the same height as me, but she was a bit more willow-whip-y in body than I was. Her wings were smaller than mine, too. I didn't know how well she could fight, but I knew she was fast. If it came down to a fight, she'd probably get me down, but I'd have an advantage with strength. Maybe. Possibly.

My brow creased with doubt, and my wings shifted uneasily. Let's just hope that it didn't come down to a fight at all.

"What do you want to talk about? You're not the type for painted nails and giggling over Edward Cullen."

"You've read _Twilight?"_

"Knowing Sable and Beth? I had to!" I couldn't help but smile at the memory, even if I absolutely abhorred the situation. Yes, I used big words.

"Oh." She tossed her head back. "You like it?"

"Yet again no choice, but yeah."

"Edward or Jake?"

"I find that argument tedious."Yet another big word. "I ship Edwella and Jake/Nessie. As well as Jalice, Emalie, and Carlisle/Esme." I examined my nails. "You?"

"…Same. You forgot Charlie and Sue, and Kate and Garrett—"

My eyes widened. "You're Charlie/Sue, too?" I asked, forgetting my earlier hostility.

"Yeah—wait!" She scowled. "I'm off topic."

"We had a topic?"

"Yes." She made to open her big mouth again but I interrupted her.

"If it's about Fang," no brainer, really, "yes, he is an idiot. And, yes, it does seem he likes me now. Why does that bug you?"

"Because he--he and I--haven't you read the books or at least been able to figure that out?"

"Yeah." I crossed my arms and flipped my hair back. "But it doesn't seem like you're interested in him, or at least interested in _claiming_ him."

"What if I am?" She retorted, cheeks flushing with both anger and embarrassment. "What right have you got, compared to me?"

"Neither of us has a 'right'," I replied. "He's a human being, and he can choose whoever he wants." At her wordless rage I marched over to the door. "And frankly, I have a much better track record than you so far." I held the door open. "Are we finished?"

"More than that!" she hissed, and marched out.

Emotionally drained, I dropped onto the couch and flipped on the TV, knowing I wouldn't be able to get much sleep after the evening's events. I curled up on my side, flipping through the channels aimlessly. Today....today just stunk. Today stunk worse than when the guys hadn't bathed in forever and—you know what? Maybe today didn't stink _that_ bad...

I had to snicker a bit at that, and found an interesting show on Animal Planet about Snowy Owls. As I extended a wing over my body like a feathery blanket, I sighed. If I remember right Snowy Owls were a part of Trin's DNA. And some type of owl I don't quite remember the name of is a part of mine…

Barred Owl, that was it.

I examined my wing, stretching it out above me to press against the ceiling. Then I observed the Snowy Owl's wings, compared that to Trin's, and frowned. Trin had _huge_ wings, and they didn't seem to be completely Snowy Owl wings, now that I thought about it hard.

Cheater.

I sighed. I cuddled with the softest pillow on the couch and tried not to think about anything but the cool Snowy Owls. Get it? Cool Snowy--oh, never mind. With my stupid jokes and owls I dozed off.

--

_The wind buffeted my body, whipping my hair in front of my face. Beside me were statues of angels, their wings extended towards the dark storm clouds above us. There was a hollow whistling, eerie and grating at my nerves. I had a feeling that I was supposed to wait here, and that the person who was supposed to meet me was very, very late._

_My wings spread and caught the wind, which carried me down to the stairs of the cathedral, where a tall man who looked a lot like Trinity but wasn't stood. He had wings; huge wings, snowy white and completely blank of any markings...extended to bar the way, but his hands were at his sides._

_I glided past him, down the empty road, and then two powerful strokes took me up the face of a Nutex building. I alighted on the roof and the next moment I was standing in a hall in the middle of the facility—dream skipping, I vaguely noted—and listening to a Whitecoat talk into one of those "Cyborg" things (the ones that stick in your ear and extend along your cheekbone like a little block, so you don't have to have earphones or your actual phone. Bluetooths, I think). His words were gibberish, but I knew that he was talking about "Annihilating Alpha" or something… I panicked._

_I ran along the halls, but they were getting longer and longer, my legs heavier and heavier. I tried to fly, but I was being sucked backwards even as the walls closed in. Claustrophobia kicked in, and I struggled, suffocating on the syrupy air._

_There were cries down the hall, faint and desperate and miserable, and then there was a door. It was just out of reach, the knob obstinately inches from my grasp. I had to reach that door. I had to get inside…had to…life or death—_

My eyes snapped open, and I sat up gasping through my sobs.

Gentle, strong arms wrapped around me; a hand rubbed my shaking shoulders, stroked the down of my trembling wings, and a face pressed into my hair. I didn't question. I just leaned into the comforting presence. Only when I realized who it was did I jerk away from Fang's lap. I was looking straight into their flock's eyes.

They didn't ask me anything, just looked at me as if understanding. Nudge got me a glass of water, which I chugged down through pained, tearing attempts at catching my breath. Angel rubbed my back, in-between my wings. Eventually I managed to breathe properly, and wiped my soaked face.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

"You forgot how to breathe?" Angel asked, her blue eyes wide with confusion.

I blushed.

"Yeah. It just…happens sometimes." I wanted to disappear. Right there. _Somebody!_

They gave me a lot of concerned looks.

"Is it because of what they..." Iggy gestured at his eyes. I could imagine what it seemed like to him. Because of the white-coats he couldn't see, and now it looked like I couldn't breathe.

"In a way." I gulped.

"In a way." Max raised a frustrated eyebrow. Clearly she didn't want to be here. "Right. I bet you're dysfunctional."

"No I'm not!" I exclaimed furiously, and coughed. "I'm just designed for different environments."

"Oh!" Angel must've read my mind again. "That makes sense. That's cool, too!"

"Really?" I wasn't convinced. "It's pretty inconvenient."

Fang cleared his throat.

"Ana's designed for higher altitudes and lower levels of oxygen, and so sometimes the wealth of oxygen down here is overwhelming and her lungs stop processing the oxygen she needs, so it's basically like having Asthma except backwards." Angel paused.

"It's stupid. It's impossible for me to stay on the ground for long periods of time." I sighed. "And there's no way I could just live forever up in the jet stream."

"But it's still cool!"

"Whatever."

"That's Fang's line!" Max snapped.

"Oh well! Maybe it's a virus spread by physical contact!" I snapped. "How would you know, though? You probably ran away faster than it could spread!"

"Girls!" Gazzy shouted. He turned red when we zeroed in on him and he found himself staring into two murderous faces. "Continue!" he squeaked.

"Oh come _on_," Nudge said, rolling her eyes. "I mean seriously, you're like, Tanya and Bella if they ever actually fought—or, or, uh…" She thought for a moment. "I don't know any other girls who had a cat fight over a guy like you. Hm." All this was said and thought in the span of about two of _my_ quick breaths.

"Don't hurt yourself." I swallowed and ran a hand through my hair, flopping it in front of my face, like I was hiding. "I'm ok, you can go now."

Max snapped a "Fine!" but made no move to go.

"Well?"

"You guys go get breakfast," Fang said. "Ana, let's go out for a fly and then check on Trin."

Startled and nervous, I shifted anxiously and fiddled with my hands in my lap.

As soon as the others were gone (Max left very reluctantly--well, they all did, but still!) Fang tugged me over to the window and we took off from there, not caring if we were seen or not. Max would've so killed us if she caught us. I smiled for a moment.

"You ok?" He didn't look at me, he might've been addressing the air in front of his face if I didn't know better.

"I said I was, didn't I?"

"You seem like the girl who could be dying and would keep her trap shut." He caught a gust of wind and soared above me, then angled downwards so close to me that I could feel my wings touching his when I flapped, and I could feel his body heat on my back. I blushed. "Let me repeat myself—_Are you OK?"_

I looked up at him. "How would you be?" I breathed, just a second before I flew up over him instead, and a fair bit higher.

He kept his eyes trained straight ahead and slightly down, but I knew he was still paying attention to me. "Yesterday, Trinity was shot in the back. Then, you—and I—and everything about that…and Trin's _face!_ God, his face…" I could see it behind my eyelids, and I chewed my lip till it bled. "I don't know. This can't be the right thing to do. And—the nightmare, and the breathing issue…it's not something one can say 'I'm OK' to with certainty." I let out a shaky breath, and then soared up higher, feeling low on Oxygen. He followed easily, and then did a strange mutation of a corkscrew, where he ended up on his back and was gliding unsteadily that way. His face was hard, his eyes were afire; from the way he looked at me, I couldn't help but picture him as that avenging angel…

"I didn't see his face."

"Didn't you? I thought you were just being a jerk because you saw it." The venom in his voice was seeping into my own, and I grit my teeth.

"Anyway, whatever. You'll see it when we got to see him. Did we decide when we're leaving?"

"We decided to leave when Trin was better." I sighed. "But now it's going to be kind of hard to tell when he's better physically or if it's just emotionally."

He frowned at me. "There's nothing 'just emotionally'. Sure, we can travel with him just better physically, but we're going to have to start healing emotionally, otherwise this trip is going to be hell."

"Tell me about it."

"I was thinking...now that we've got a car...we could always bring Tryherte or someone with us. That way we'd have a doctor, and a driver, and an adult with us?" He shot me a look.

"It's a good idea…but I still don't want to leave until we have to—Oh no."

Fang flipped over, and swore.

There were two white vans parked outside of the hospital—with Flyboys clanking their way out of the backs. I swooped down to Trinity's window and crashed through it, landing on a bed and flapping around insanely trying to recover myself.

"Ana!" Trinity cried, clutching my arm. "What's wrong?"

"They're here!" I gasped. "We need to leave, now! Where's Tryherte?"

"Here." He was standing off to the side, obviously in the middle of handing out some of the slightly more appetizing hospital food as he stared at me. "Um." He shook his head and shut his gaping mouth. "Ok, we can go around back, get my car."

"Ana, they're _coming,_" Fang hissed from where he had landed at the door. I too could hear the faint, echoing clanks of Flyboys in the stairwell.

"Can you run?" I asked and tugged Trin's blankets off (thank goodness he was in jeans!) and pulled him out of bed.

"No!" Trin swayed, eyes glazing over with pain. I winced and caught him before he could fall.

"Tryherte, can you carry him? He's really light. I need to be free to fight if necessary." Trin protested, but I cut him off. "Look, I apologize to your pride. Just shut up and let's get _out_ of here!"

Tryherte picked up Trin as carefully as he could before turning around to us. "Ok, guys," He shoved the door open with his shoulder and started down the hall. "Follow me!"

The Flyboys may have been some of Itex's best henchmen, but Tryherte knew this place--and was running as if his life depended on it--which it probably did--which made him as fast as a bird kid.

Not to mention they probably weren't expecting us to go barreling right through them.

They tried to follow, but Tryherte just kept running, never losing his grip on Trin. "Doctor! Doctor coming through!" He leapt around people, shoved gurneys towards the Flyboys, made a general ruckus...

We left the Flyboys in the dust for a good while and were almost to the car before they caught up to us.

I threw the door to the van open and helped settle Trin inside, then slammed the door.

"I'll be on the roof," Fang said, and clambered up onto the top of the van. I jumped into the passenger seat and pulled the door shut, locking it behind me. Tryherte was already starting the engine. I told him which hotel we were at, and we sped off.

The flyboys stayed behind, not bothering to catch up. They were following us.

"Tryherte, don't head to the hotel!"

"Why not!" The van did a dangerous swerve as he took his eyes off the road to look at me for an instant.

"Have you looked behind us?" That's when he looked in the rearview mirror. And cursed. And managed to get the big ol' van to turn on a dime and take a road that lead to who knows where. I opened the window and yelled up at Fang. "What now?"

Tryherte gave me a look of sheer disbelief. "How in the world have you guys managed to stay alive for so long?"

"Luck."

Fang's shout was distant, whipped away by the wind, but I heard him. "I see Max on the roof! I'll go get her!" His black form leaped off of the roof, his wings unfurled, and he hurtled up into the sky.

I heard Tryherte give a small gasp, and I gave a small smile. He shook his head. "Alright, what now?"

"Err…What the heck?" I had turned to look out one of the side-view mirrors, only to see that the Flyboys' van was gone.

"They pulled back?" Trinity's face was anxious. "This has to be a trick. They _never_ pull back."

"Yeah, but what are we gonna do about it?" I looked over at Tryherte who had been slowing down. "Keep driving, don't stop."

"OK."

"Keep driving around town. The others should be packing up, and then they can meet us somewhere and we can slow down enough for them to climb in…Then we start driving again." Trinity's jaw clenched.

"Yeah, yeah. You do that." I unlatched my seatbelt and starting rolling the window down. You should have seen their eyes bug out when I started to climb out of the van.

"Ana!"

"Just hold on, I'm going to try to see why the pulled back."

"If you get shot, I'm killing you," Trinity hissed. I couldn't help but smile as I jumped out of the car and spread my wings, shooting up into the air.

I could see the Flyboy vans clearly; hard not to see the huge white things. They were indeed shooting away in the opposite direction. There was a slight buzzing in my ears, which I knew to be a radio signal; ITEX had crappy radios, and though they were better than your everyday ones they still were noticeable by the avian experiments that I knew of.

Wondering what ITEX was telling the Flyboys to do (or not do), I flew higher so as to be able to see farther and guess at where the Flyboys were going. They were heading for the highway.

"Ana!" I looked down to see Fang, Max, Nudge, Iggy, Angel and Gazzy flying up towards me. "Where's the car?" Fang panted.

"Down there. I left it to see why the Flyboys were retreating," I replied.

"It's cause the trap at the hotel went off. They don't know it failed and we're escaping. They won't chase after us once they do, either, cause that'd kinda blow their cover."

I nodded. "Right. Let's get to the car and get going then." I looked them over quickly as we headed down. They didn't seem too hurt. What was wrong with these flyboys? Old models? Did they think we were rookies? Sheesh. Well, yay for us, I guess.

We circled above the car and dropped one by one onto it, climbing in the passenger seat window and then crawling into the back; first Angel, then Gazzy, Nudge, Iggy, Max, Fang, then me. Yes, the van is huge: Think of the Mystery Machine from Scooby Doo, except not so psychedelic. Two seats in front, then a full three-seat row behind that, and then a huge empty space in back. More than enough room for all of us.

"The Flyboys are gone for now," I told Trin.

He scowled. "That cannot be a good thing."

"They think that they caught Max's flock back at the hotel, but they don't know it's a false alarm." I shrugged. "Anyway, it looks like we're off to Beth's now!"

I didn't miss how his eyes lit up, even if his face was still all serious. "Are we there yet?"

"Don't start that!" Max groaned. The rest of her flock just grinned. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess they had done road trips before...

We stopped at McDonald's that evening and ordered via drive-thru. As the monotone voice told us the price of our combined meals, Tryherte's eyes widened. His thoughts were written across his face; _There goes my savings!_ He swallowed hard.

I grinned and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, dinner's on me," I said, and waved our credit card. He gave the card a long look but had the sense not to ask. Not that it mattered; I just didn't feel like explaining. It was hilarious to see him relax though. We finally pulled up to the second window, and I handed the meals back to Max, who passed them on to the right people. "Kay, Trin, here." I placed the food in his lap and he looked down at it, and then attempted to eat with his uninjured arm. I never realized how hard it is to eat a Big Mac with one hand. I glanced at him worriedly, but he was busy scowling at the messy burger in his hand.

Max had seen his issue also, and reached over to cut it into four pieces, much easier for him to handle with one hand. He blushed, muttered thanks, and cut in—never looking at her once. But I could feel his blush, even from here. I felt my own face heating up, and looked away to see Fang watching me. His eyes were narrowed and stormy. I looked down at my large fries and began to stuff my face, so that I wouldn't be so occupied by the boys.

"So, Ana, which way do I head now?" I jumped and looked at Tryherte, who nodded at the crossroads good naturedly.

"Um...Beth lives in the Midwest."

"Okey doke." He nodded and took the right.

Iggy and Gazzy where playing a guess-the-voice in the back, Nudge and Angel were giggling over what looked like a copy of_ Twilight._ Max was listening to an iPod, and Fang was staring into the bright screen of his laptop. Trinity was staring out the window, face pressed against the cool glass and eyes at half mast. I slipped the seatbelt off of my shoulder and turned around so that I was kneeling on my chair, with my arms dangling over the back. He glanced at me and caught my eyes, before shifting and attempting to adjust uninjured wing a little bit. It must have itched, being under wraps.

I reached out and put a hand on his forehead—it was warmer than usual, but nothing too bad.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine." He didn't look at me.

"Trin." No response. "Trinity..." He sighed. "If you're sick, I'm going to kill you." He looked up at me with unamused eyes, and I pushed him gently back into the chair. "Get some sleep," I urged, and rolled open my window to give him some fresh air. I didn't want him to get sick on top of being crippled. He closed his eyes gratefully and leaned back. Soon, he was asleep.

It wasn't long until Tryherte looked like he wanted to join Trin. Since everyone else looked exhausted as well, I suggested that we pull over at the side of the road in the woods for the night. ITEX wasn't likely to launch another attack, and none of the kids old enough to drive were up for it.

Everyone accepted the suggestion with relief and we pulled over. Tryherte had leaned his chair back and was asleep in seconds, and everyone else looked ready to pass out where they were.


	4. Chapter 3: Playing the Fool

Wing It

**Ch 3**

I gently leaned Trinity's car seat back so that he could stretch out on it, and then lay one of the hospital blankets that were lying around in the back over him so that he could stay warm. I made sure he had one of those weird paper-like pillows that hospitals have so that he could curl up with something (it's part of the bird-kid in us. We have to have something to curl up with. It might be due to the way we were brought up in ITEX…but whatever). Once I'd done that, I made sure that Tryherte's keys were in the ignition just enough so that I could keep the heater on and make sure no one got cold. Then I clambered out of the car and looked up at the patch of stars visible through the trees.

Fang's eyes gleamed out of the darkness at me, and I eventually joined him up in the tree. He watched me through an emotionless mask as I stretched myself out on the limb we were on, letting my feet dangle off into the abyss below, my wings limp on either side of me. He was squatting a little ways in front of me, his wings pulled in around him like a cocoon. We watched each other detachedly; in truth, I was paying more attention to the cool breeze and the rustling of leaves than to him.

"Nice, isn't it?" He shuffled his wings.

"Yeah." I closed my eyes, feeling the breeze. I wasn't really listening.

"Ana..."

"Hm...?"

The branch didn't even move as he did, and I only noticed that he _had_ moved when I suddenly felt his warm breath on my face. My eyes snapped open and met his. They were gentle and dark. "Either Max and Trin are on to us," he whispered, "they're planning the same thing as us…or they're falling for each other." I nearly melted into a puddle with relief—the close proximity was so that Max wouldn't hear, not because he was going to hit on me or something.

"I know," I replied. "I don't know what to think."

"What should we do, though?" He questioned.

I was silent for a moment, trying to figure out what the smart thing to do was. I bit my lip and pulled my knees up to my chin. "I don't know… I think we should stay doing this."

"The original plan was to pretend to get together, Ana. That includes holding hands and kissing." He watched me carefully; I had a feeling that he was both laughing and curling into a ball inside, even though his lips were pressed into an emotionless line, and his pale face revealed no hint of amusement or fear. "If it pains you to do that, then let's make a new plan."

My breath caught in my throat, and my grip on my legs tightened. I tried not to snap my wings in to me and cocoon myself so I didn't have to look at him, and instead let them go even limper, extending my long primaries as far as I could toward the ground. I swallowed hard and tried to control my pounding heart and the adrenaline that coursed through my veins.

"Let's—let's try again, just one more time," I found myself murmuring. "If it's too hard for me to do, let's change it, yeah. But…I'm not one to give up, and I don't think you are either."

Something in his mask-like face changed, and he leaned forward. I leaned back into the cool, strong trunk of the tree, but not because I was afraid. Our eyes slipped shut and I felt one of his hands reach up to cup my cheek, the other slid past me to rest against the base of the tree limb I was sitting on, to balance us. His wings curled around us like a shield, cloaking us in privacy and camouflaging us into the shadows. Unconsciously, I pulled my own wings up to wrap around his back, pulling him closer to me.

Only a trained eye would have been able to spot the human bodies in the shifting mix of moonlight and shadow that was created by pitch-black wings and my lighter feathers. A trained eye or a watchful Avian-American girl with tears in her eyes and a green-eyed monster in her chest.

A sweet, semi-groggy voice entered our minds. I would have ignored it, but it made Fang stop kissing me.

_Fang. Ana. You're hurting Max._

Looking over at Max, I saw that she had Angel wrapped up in her arms, and was wiping her eyes and saying something to her. Probably some lie about how she wasn't crying. The instant she saw us looking at her she scowled and wrapped her wings around them, like a shelter.

I groaned under my breath. Fang simply sighed and leaned back. "See what I mean?" He muttered. "She'll hardly give me a thought and even openly hurts me, but as soon as I either curl in on myself so it doesn't hurt so much—or if I try to go and move on, she gets all green and pissy." He swore softly and leaned back, his hands tightening on the branch underneath him.

I sighed, loudly. "Trin does the same thing. I mean, if he didn't do the same thing there really isn't any point, is there?" I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. "We can't change them. Maybe...maybe we have to move on..."

He gave me a half hearted smirk. "I thought we weren't giving up. If you just wanted to try to go out with me..."

I punched his arm and laughed. "You know what I mean. They just won't notice us. Maybe we should stop being in denial about it. We can't change them...but can't _we_ get over it?" I bit my lip, hoping I hadn't made a complete fool of myself.

"You just made a complete fool of yourself."

"You meanie!"

"Correction. Now you've made a complete fool of yourself."

I rolled my eyes. "Ok, ok. But you've got to admit I've got a point."

"You don't want to remain stuck on them."

"Not when they can't love us back. It's not fair, to them or to us."

He paused, chewing on his lip. It was extremely cute; I have to admit, with his eyes so lost in thought and his brow furrowing just the slightest bit. "The theory behind that is probably true."

"What theory?"

"That we say that we try to let go and move on, but we still want to hang on to the chance that Max and Trin might still like us. Because they do. Sort of." He thought for a moment. "If we really wanted to let go and move on, then we wouldn't care about if they liked us or not."

"Oh. Yeah."

"So we can come to each other and talk over how we feel when we feel jealous of them, so that we don't end up letting our feelings take over our actions and cause more drama. Wonderful idea, princess!"

I ignored his teasing. "Only thing is so far we haven't really let it take over our actions and nothing's changed. The way things are, do you honestly think they ever will? Something has to bend."

"I just hate being the one to bend."

"I know." I smiled slightly. "I guess neither of us like forfeiting. But we're not really forfeiting. The game was up long ago?"

He nodded, but I could sense that neither of us really believed ourselves. I sighed again.

"Well, it's not like there's anything else _to_ do." And I pointedly looked at the van. He nodded along absently, but I knew he didn't agree with me. Not completely, but a part of him had to. I'm never wrong.

Except when it comes to left and right...

We finally left to go to sleep. He curled up at the base of the branch against the trunk, and I climbed up to the very top and wedged myself in between some of the branches, my wings curled around me. Like I usually slept. Trin also slept like this—he said that he liked it, but I knew that at first it had been uncomfortable; he had done it anyway, to make me feel like I wasn't alone.

He hadn't done it lately. And I had a feeling that he'd never do it again, now that Fang and I…were not going to be Fang and Max or Ana and Trin.

My stomach seemed to drop, like lead. I bit my lip and exhaled slowly, letting my bangs flutter. "God," I whispered, "if You're there… Please, we need help."

As usual… No answer.

Or maybe just not one that I could hear.

There was a humming. Someone was humming a sweet lullaby. And I'm not usually one that a lullaby will send straight to dreamland, but coupled with my stress and the gentle swaying of the tree I just couldn't help but doze off. But before I did, I couldn't help wondering who was humming the lullaby...

I woke at dawn and glided down to the truck silently, hardly stirring a leaf. Everyone else—including Fang—was asleep. When I got to the van, however, I found Trinity surfing the net on his phone. He glanced up at me, then back at his phone. "Someone just commented on the blog," he whispered so as not to wake Tryherte.

"What did they comment about?"

"…My parents."

I watched him uneasily, unsure of how to react. "What did they say?" He snapped the phone shut before I could read it.

"Nothing that makes sense." He glowered at the windsheild, and I didn't say anything. What could I say? Sorry I've been snogging some other guy, but tell me about your parents? No, that just wouldn't fly. Especially since I decided to move on. Instead of demanding as usual I just nodded, waited for him to say something, and when he didn't I flew back to the top of the tree and scanned the horizon. Not a leaf was out of place. Not a flyboy in sight.

We were pretty far off the beaten track, following a road that was filled with potholes and grass. I didn't expect much to happen way out here except our own personal drama, and maybe a wild animal attack or two—but I doubted that. This was the kind of place I liked best.

Just for fun, I launched myself into the air and propelled myself straight up, completely vertical, completely perpendicular to the ground. My wings were still a bit stiff, but that quickly wore off as I pumped them harder and harder, taking longer pauses between each stroke. Soon, I was so high that I could feel ice beginning to form on my lashes. I beamed up at the sky and let myself glide, staying at the same altitude.

I angled my primaries slightly so that I could skim over a cloud. Then I pulled my wings in half way, corkscrewing so fast that my wings felt like they were going to rip off: It was exhilarating.

By now I had curved in the air, a falling bullet, and as I began falling straight down I imagined how Dominic dove. Peregrine falcons, when diving, held their wings a certain way to allow themselves the correct speed. I mimicked the pose, but my wings were the wrong shape to stay still while I fell—instead, I spun and spun and spun. It was wrong, but I was still fast…and it was FUN!

I snapped my wings open just above the treetops, letting them catch the wind. I angled them slightly so that my momentum carried me upwards. I pulled my wings around me to pirouette in the air, then flattened out and began flying again before performing another series of moves that made up my own aerobatic ballet.

When I finally managed to tear myself away from the sky and trot back over to the others I was grinning like an idiot. And I sure as anything wasn't imagining the look of envy on the faces of Max's flock. Tryherte's snoring told me he had missed it, but I didn't care. I hadn't _intended_ to show off. Not that it didn't feel nice.

Fang was looking at me, an unreadable expression on his face. "You're good." I shook out my hair.

"Please, like the rest of you couldn't." I sat down about a yard away from him and grinned at Trin who was hanging out the window. For once it wasn't like anything was wrong and he was grinning too, clearly enjoying that our flocked topped theirs not only in sync but in style as well. They may be cool, but we were _way_ cooler.

"Ana's a natural."

I rolled my eyes and flopped back on the grass, enjoying the sun as the others talked. It felt _great_.

Angel skipped over to me. "Can you teach me to fly like that?" She asked excitedly.

With my eyes still closed I smiled up at her. "Sure, let's give it a shot. Let's wait 'til later tho, okay? We better wake Tryherte up and get going." I sat up and stretched my wings. "It's a long way to Beth's."

She nodded seriously, but then burst into laughter and she ran over to Nudge. After a few more giggles they disappeared into the van, and then Tryherte was jumping out of his skin and the van exploded in laughter.

"I thought pranks were all yours, guys." I nodded at Iggy and Gasman. Gassy smiled so hard his eyes scrunched up.

"Well, she _is_ my sister."

How can you _not_ say "Aww" at that?

* * *

While we drove, Trinity puzzled over his phone and the message he'd received. He was biting his finger, his brow furrowed and his eyes closed in thought. Every now and then he'd murmur something and take another look—but he didn't seem to be finding anything.

Finally, he groaned and leaned back, smacking his head against the headrest with a thump. "This is either a code or a riddle," he moaned. "I just don't get it. I know it's about my parents, because it mentions angels and owls; my parents had white wings, and one of them had owls'. But…further than that…"

"What's it say?" I asked, slightly annoyed.

"Angels and owls roost among the roofs and alleys of Manhattan's blessed poor in spirit. With clipped wings, the angels fall like lightning from the sky. Their hearts and feathers ignite, but they freeze in the pits of Hell."

"Sounds religious."

"Well, 'blessed poor in spirit' _has_ to be a reference to the Beatitudes. And there's obviously a connection to Manhattan—Manhattan where, though? Clipped wings are always bad, and falling angels is bad, but it depends on the context. Hearts igniting is a good thing, though, feathers on fire are bad, and so is freezing in pits of hell. I just don't _get_ it though!"

"Don't stress," I said calmly. "It'll come to you soon enough."

"But what if it's _not_ soon enough? What if whoever's in trouble is dead by the time I figure it out?" He ran his free hand through his hair and looked up at me with dark eyes. I reached over and brushed his bangs away from his face. He closed his eyes as I touched him, and I looked up at Fang. I nodded at him and his brow eased. "I'm so worried… I mean, Kate…and all of Mason and Bella's group… And then this message. And I just have that feeling that something's going to go wrong soon."

"The worrying's not going to help you get better," I told him. "Let me worry for you. You and Fang can work together—both of you seem good at riddles." How true that was. "But don't worry, please…"

I didn't mention that he had a fever, and was extremely flushed. I wasn't a doctor, but I knew that it couldn't be good.

"Sure, Trin," Fang said. He leaned forward and hung himself over the shoulder of Trin's seat. "Now, let's see…" The two set to work without further ado, reminding me of Sable and Beth when presented with a problem.

Max, who was sitting next to Trin, reached over and squeezed his hand. He looked over at her, surprised, and then at me. Then he looked back at Fang and continued the conversation like he'd never stopped: he didn't even try to let go of Max's hand… Instead, he adjusted his hold so that his fingers were entwined.

I looked over at Max to find her eyes on me already. I tried to remain impassive, but on the inside I was screaming and tearing my mental hair and stomping my feet. _Why can't I get over this?_ I demanded myself. _I mean, yes he's my friend. But I'm moving on! Moving ooooon…no jealousy…_

Angel looked up, her piercing blue eyes locked on to my face. _I have to tell you;_ she said into my mind, _that I don't approve of you and Fang at all. You two are cute together, and he likes you…but he belongs with Max. And you belong with Trin._ She smiled, then. _But don't worry, it'll work out._

_Are you psychic?_ I asked her glumly.

_No. But your friend Beth is._ Her smile turned mischievous and she looked back to Nudge, resuming their giggles.

I stared out the window, suddenly impatient. What did Beth know? "Urgh." I banged my head on the window.

"That's not good for your head." Fang tapped his own head knowingly. "It kills brain cells."

"...Shut up."

Nudge suddenly popped up. "Hey! Ana, you read _Twilight, _right? OMG, I'm so glad! Why don't you climb back here and we can talk? I've got the movie on my iPod!"

"Really? Cool!" I'd like to say I didn't squeal like a fan girl, but that would be an outright lie. Besides, who doesn't squeal at the thought of Edward Cullen? I unbuckled and maneuvered myself so that I fell into the back of the truck. Fang laughed at me, and then went back to helping Trin.

Nudge and Angel pulled me over to them, and Nudge messed with her iPod a bit, hooking it up to what looked like a big piece of plastic. After a few moments, the sounds of the Twilight movie began playing, followed by the actual movie appearing on the plastic.

"Holy cow, you really _are_ good with tech!" I squealed and hugged Nudge randomly.

She grinned. "I know! And isn't Edward so HOT? Who doesn't want to be Bella?"

"No one!" Angel giggled.

"Tote!"

"'Cept me, that is," I said. They gaped at me. "I wanna be Alice, and have Jazzy. OH! No, Esme with the good doctor Carlisle!"

They laughed. "I'm Nessie!" Angel shouted.

Nudge thought. "I don't know. Alice talks a lot, doesn't she? I'm Alice!"

"Beth would get you." I grinned. "Beth is a major Alice fan."

"Ok, then I'm Rose! No-I'M Bella! I get Edward!"

"You're my mom!"

We laughed together and went back to watching, laughing over Charlie's mustache and Erik's…yeah.

"Oh, look! There's Carlisle! He's so hot!"

"Stop checking out my husband!" This got us a bunch of weird looks from everyone else, but Max ignored us.

"It's a Twilight thing," Angel, Nudge and I said in unison. We fell into a giggle spell: and this was the beginning of our friendship.

* * *

Sable heard the door to the bathroom click shut, and then the rush of water as the shower turned on. Dominic was taking a shower, apparently—and boy did he need it! By the time he'd arrived, he'd had to go through two deserts and a dust storm, so his feathers were ruffled and his hair was grimy, not to mention the fact that he smelled terrible.

Sable's parents were out shopping, and her sisters were off at a play-date. She had the house to herself, since Dom was now in the shower, and so she could relax for a little bit. Lately, that had been nigh impossible. Between pro-life rallies, school, mutants, and sisters she hadn't had much time to draw or read. But since she didn't feel like sitting down at the moment, she walked outside and sat down at the edge of the sidewalk, basking in the warm sun. There were only three more months until school was out, but it already felt like summer! Her dark hair had already heated in the sun, and she pulled it back into a ponytail to keep herself from overheating.

It was a wonderful day out. The sky was as blue as anything, with a light misting of clouds on the horizon. The sun was bright and hot, but there was a gentle breeze that made everything the perfect temperature.

"Only three months till my birthday," she said offhandedly. "I hope we have this kind of weather then."

Sable listened to the sounds of cars whizzing by on the other side of the tall condos on the other side of the street, heard the tell-tale laughter of the local boys in the distance, and watched a sleek, black car cruise down towards her. The windows were tinted, and the car wasn't of a model that she recognized; it seemed to be foreign. She guessed that it was probably someone visiting a relative or business partner—it wasn't too out of place.

She stood and began walking, heading to go check the laundry. She opened the door to the laundry room and began moving the loads along. She'd just put the washer load into the dryer and was about to fish around for coins when a shadow fell across her. She looked up at the door and blinked. "Err, hello," she said politely.

"Hello. I'm Zach. " He smiled dazzlingly. "Have we met before? I saw you sitting there, and I thought I recognized you."

"I don't know. You don't look familiar." She shrugged and turned to face him. "I'm Sable. Where do you think we might have met?"

"I'm not sure. Where do you hang out?"

"I'm usually in front of the abortion mill with the other pro-lifers. Or at church. Or at home, or school." She paused. "I don't think I've seen you anywhere."

"I must have seen you at Planned Parenthood then," Zach said. "I work there."

Sable's knuckles whitened as her grip on the dryer tightened. "I hate those tinted windows," she muttered.

"I can see you," he agreed, "but you can't see me."

Sable really didn't like the guy, despite his good looks. He leaned against the doorframe, watching her with cold, calculating eyes. "Well?" She asked, slightly annoyed.

"You can go back to the laundry." He nodded at her, but when she didn't move he flashed her that dazzling smile. "So, I'm Zach, I'm eighteen, and I work at the clinic with my mom. You're Sable, you look about…seventeen? And you're pro-life."

She didn't bother correcting him about her age, and in reply to the last statement she said, "Obviously. And you forgot something; you're a creepy stalker, too." Sable watched as he laughed and took a step forward, closing the door to the laundry room behind him. "What do you want?" Her heart threatened to pound out of her chest; she was lucky her voice was still strong.

"I want to know what you know about ITEX." His smile had disappeared, and his dark eyes were filled with suspicion.

Sable knew she couldn't tell him the truth. "Isn't it from _Maximum Ride?_ Or are you talking about the trade company in San Jose?"

"Are you sure?"

"Sure of what?" Their eyes met, and for a few moments they were both silent. Then he chuckled and stepped back, leaning against the closed door. "What do you want, seriously?" She asked.

"Nothing. Sorry for the scare." He touched her face, and she flinched; his hands were icy cold, like a doctor's. "Stay out of ITEX's business, if you ever do find out what I'm talking about." He opened the door and left, leaving an extremely confused Sable to finish the laundry.

* * *

I sighed with pleasure. After watching Twilight and giggling with Angel and Nudge a million times our hyperness had worn us out and we'd dropped like flies. I was currently semi-dozing in the back with Nudge's head resting on my legs and Angel curled up on my side. I was so comfortable. I had the best pillow in the world...

Angel giggled.

Angel giggling is wonderful, but not when I have the strong suspicion that she's giggling at me.

I turned my head ever so slightly and squinted at my pillow, causing my heart to skip a beat and my cheeks to flush. "Fang?"

"Yup?"

"Have you ever considered being a professional pillow? You could make big bucks off of it, I'm sure."

"I considered it. It turns out I'm only good for cuddling up with cute bird girls though. Not that I'm complaining." I could feel my face turn bright red, and Angel's giggles were taking a higher pitch. I poked Fang. He draped his arm over me. "Oh, relax Ana." I rolled my eyes and tried to oblige. I thought it would be a while before I finally succumbed to sleep, but the drowsy atmosphere in the van was very comforting...I was out like a light.

* * *

Beth sat on the couch by KIX, her siblings in the floor. Each of them had a glass of lemonade as they watched Superman. Beth's parents were out stocking up on groceries for the visiting bird kids, so they were babysitting.

For once KIX couldn't find any words. His mouth was dry. He's been like this since he'd shown up. Speaking way too much and way too fast one second, mouth dry and speechless the next. He tried again to speak, looking over at Beth as she let her hair down from her messy bun.

"Beth, I--"

"Hm? Do you want a refill? There's more in the fridge." KIX nodded mutely and made his way to the fridge, watching as she teased her little brother, and as she pointed out Superman had to be OK since there was another episode after that one.

She looked over at him expectantly, and he spilled the lemonade. Laughing, she got a towel. "Oh, KIX." Her siblings giggled, but stayed put.

"Sorry." He grabbed a nearby paper towel and helped.

"No problamo. See? All better. Here" She grabbed the pitcher, "I'll make more." Biting his lip he followed her back over to the others, a new pitcher of lemonade in the fridge and a new glass in his hand. Besides the lemonade mishap he noticed another problem. He still couldn't speak as she smiled at him.

* * *

Fang woke me up at lunch to ask me what I wanted: we were at a drive-thru In-n-Out burger. I handed Tryherte my card and said what I wanted, then sat back.

After eating, I curled up by Fang again. We'd been in the van long enough that we had moved past the sleepy-because-we've-been-having-Twilight-fever stage to the drowzy-because-we've-been-stuck-in-here-forever stage. You know, that stage you get to whenever you take super long car trips. Not that fun.

Perfect for curling up with professional pillows though.

My cuddling was interrupted by Trin's phone ringing. Fang tensed, and everyone else jumped as they were woken up. Trin apologized and flipped out his phone. "Hello, this is Trinity Flyte—" He stopped mid sentence, eyes narrowing. "Who is this?" He pressed speaker and held the phone away from him.

"_No one, and yet someone. Don't look for your father,_" the voice said chillingly, _"he is beyond your reach. Give up before we're forced to do something drastic. Your father is none of your concern."_

"I beg to differ," Trinity snapped.

_"Whether you beg or not is not our concern. You have been warned."_

The call ended with a resounding _click_ that made all of us flinch. No one moved for several minutes. Tryherte was looking at all of us with worry in his eyes--he'd become sort of our big, albeit normal, brother. The rest of us were determined.

"We need to figure out that post," Trinity said angrily. "Before it's too late. The question is--who sent it, and who was the caller? It was a private ID."

I sat up and rubbed my temples. "Um...the caller and who sent it, we can probably figure it out if we solve the post. Solve the post, we got answers. But, we need everyone if we need to tackle this." I sat up straighter. "We can't do anything right now, Trin. We need to regroup and heal. We can solve the riddle on the way, and try to get people from the Family on it, but there isn't much we"--I waved my hand around the interior of the van--"can do."

He sighed in frustration, but grudgingly agreed. He set about emailing Sable and Beth to try and get them to work on it for when we could meet up.

After a couple more hours of driving Tryherte pulled over. "Sorry guys, I'm about to fall asleep behind the wheel here. Time to bunker down." He yawned hugely. "Trin, I'm gonna check your wing real quick. Is that OK?"

"Sure," Trin said groggily, opening his eyes and looking around blearily. He shifted in his seat, trying to sit up.

"Go find some trees, guys," I told the others. Max stumbled out of the car, her eyes already closed. Angel and Nudge climbed out together, and Iggy and Gazzy followed. Fang remained with me. I folded the seats beside Trin back so that Tryherte had more room to move.

Trin let Tryherte pull his shirt off over his head, careful to avoid jostling either his wing or his injured arm. I'd seen it many times before, but I couldn't help but feel a bit flustered by Trinity's amazing good looks. Even injured and bandaged, his elegant neck and sculpted shoulders appealed to me. He blushed under my gaze and looked away.

Tryherte began undoing the bandages, and soon there was a pile of white ribbons beside him. Trinity shivered slightly, so I reached over and turned the heat on. He glanced at me appreciatively, and then looked away again.

"Oi!" Fang blanched as Tryherte had Trinity lie down on his stomach so he could see the injured wing. Tryherte winced, and Trinity hissed through his teeth as the doctor manually extended his wing. Although it had been cleaned, it was still an ugly injury. I felt sickened, and placed a comforting hand in-between Trinity's shoulder blades, stroking the creamy feathers that speckled his skin at the base of his wings. He closed his eyes and let his head fall forward, attempting to relax.

"God, that hurts," he groaned as Tryherte continued to poke and prod his wing, testing for any bones that were healing poorly.

"I'm sorry," Tryherte said, sounding just as pained as Trinity was. "I'm not a veterinarian."

"But Dr. Martinez is!" Fang said suddenly. "We can stop by her place. She's treated all of our wing injuries, and look how well we fly now. Some R&R is in order as well, I think."

Tryherte b linked. "That sounds good. Talk to the others about it." Tryherte carefully let go of Trinity's wing, watching it as it moved, trembling, and pressed itself back against Trin's back. "Alright, now we go to the stuff I know more about." Tryherte pulled out his stethoscope and pressed it against Trinity's bare back. "Breathe in, deeply."

Trinity obliged, and Tryherte couldn't help but widen his eyes. "Wow. Clean sound, and _man_ you have huge lungs."

"Air sacs, too."

Tryherte nodded and continued his examination. When he finished and began putting his things away, he seemed worried about something. "'Sup, doc?" I asked hesitantly.

"Although his wing is healing extremely well, Trinity has a bad fever. I just have a bad feeling about it."

Trinity sighed and rubbed his head. "I have the worst headache in the world, too," he grumbled. "Anyone have any ibuprofen or something?"

"I do." Tryherte seemed almost panicked as he rummaged around in his bag, reappearing again with a rattling bottle of pain killers.

I looked back at Fang. I couldn't let Trinity see my worry, and Tryherte had more than enough. Fang grabbed my shoulder. "Come on Ana, let's go tell the others."

I nodded, touched Trin's hair, then followed Fang out. The others were still awake, and when they saw us beckoning to them they jumped out of the trees. "Hey guys, Trin's injuries are a job for Dr. Martinez. Who wants to go visit her?"

"ME!" Max and Iggy were probably the two loudest of the resounding cheers. Max, because of Ella and cookies and Dr. Martinez. Iggy? Probably because of Ella.

I smiled wearily, but at the first opportunity I was running and then I was flying. Fang was beside me in an instant. His wing tips brushed mine and offered silent comfort. After a while I angled downward, and chose a tree at random to stay the night in.

He followed, and this time we were far enough away from Max and them that we could cuddle. He nuzzled my cheek as I settled down between his legs, curling up in his lap. I stretched my neck and he buried his face there, his breath tickling my skin. "Mmm…" He smiled against my neck, lips brushing lightly over my skin. I squirmed, shivers running through my body, and adjusted myself so that I had my back to him. He rested his head on my shoulder and then began giving me one of his legendary massages.

I sighed, and when he was done I leaned back and kissed under his jaw. "Thank you."

He didn't say anything for several minutes, but then he smiled, and kissed me. "I know what it's like to worry about a flock mate. I'm glad I could be of service, Princess Santana."

As I drifted to sleep in his arms, he ran his hands through my hair, gently untangling whatever knots the wind had made. His fingers trailing across my scalp sent waves of relaxation through my body, and the muscles that had still been tight even after his massage finally loosened. I made a soft sound at the back of my throat that sounded more like a bird's sleepy clicking than a human's pleased murmur; it incited a hum in his chest that quickly turned into a lullaby.

I gasped, but I was too relaxed to tense or move, or even blush for that matter. "It was you!"

"Hm?"

"The humming--the lullaby--last night..."

He smiled in the darkness. "I'm not just a poet," he said with a slight teasing edge to his voice. "Do you like it?"

I nodded fervently.

He laughed easily, and continued humming. I hummed along with him. And I don't know who fell asleep first.

The next morning the sun woke us, and we flew back to the van along with the others. It's amazing I didn't fly into any trees, I kept looking at him. He looked...._hotter_ now, because of last night. And my heart fluttered a heck of a lot more.

His smirk at me as we landed and he knocked fists with Iggy sent me into a heated blush. Angel, even though she didn't approve of our relationship, had to smile and giggle. She and Nudge whispered to each other behind their hands as we sat around in the grass and ate the leftovers from last night's dinner. And, since Trinity was still asleep and Max had her back turned to us, Fang and I could hold hands without fear.

I think the day was starting out well, don't you?


	5. Chapter 4: Mystification

**A/N:**_You try writing over email, with homework and school and friends getting in the way. I dare you._

Wing It

**Ch 4**

When Trinity woke up, he looked terrible. He had dark circles under his eyes, and his skin seemed to have a sickly tint to it. I tried to keep him from moving, but he opened the car door and clambered out, unfolding his long form and throwing open his uninjured wing. Tryherte had approved it, though, so I couldn't really tell Trinity to stop.

He shook out his left wing and ran his working hand through his hair. He sucked in a huge breath of fresh air, and the look of relief on his face pained me. I knew how it was to need some air every now and then...but I didn't like how he swayed on his feet.

"Ohmygod, Trinity!" I caught him as he stumbled and fell, struggling not to accidentally jostle his injured side. I lowered him to the ground, pulling him into my lap; his head lolled, neck limp, and I realized that he was out cold. "Oh no. Tryherte!" I looked up at the young doctor, panicking.

Tryherte had already thrown open his door and he was beside us, taking Trinity's temperature, feeling his pulse--basically he went into doctor mode. But I could tell he was nearly as panicked as me.

"Tryherte--"

"I don't know!" He threw his stethoscope to the side and placed his head in his hands. "I don't know what to do! I can't do anything! Anything!"

"No, you can! Come on, how do you wake someone up when they black out?"

He hesitantly brought out a small vial of something and uncorked it, holding it under Trin's nose. My friend didn't seem to be breathing, so I poked him in the ribs. In went the air, and then Trin's eyes opened and he sat up, coughing and hacking. "What the hell happened?" He asked dazedly.

"You blacked out," I said. "Scared me half to freaking death."

"What was that smell?" He made a face.

"Smelling salts.

I looked over at Tryherte, every fiber of my being crying out in gratitude. "You _can_ do it."

He smiled shakily at me and I could tell he didn't believe me as he helped Trin back into the van. I felt ill as I realized the change. When we'd left the hospital Tryherte had been at ease, very confident in himself and what he did, easily answering any questions we bird kids could come up with. Now he wasn't. Whatever was wrong with Trin had really shaken him up.

I felt cold.

Angel squeezed my hand. "Tryherte just doesn't know how to take care of bird kids. Dr. Martinez does. Trin will be ok."

I hoped she was right—

"_I am._" Angel squeezed my hand again, and then followed the doctor and my friend into the car.

Fang grabbed my shoulder reassuringly and the others got in the car swiftly. The sooner we got Trin to Dr. Martinez the better.

I found Max touching my arm. "Can I use your phone?" She asked hesitantly. "I need to call my mom."

I nodded and reached into Trin's jacket (which was technically both of ours, so we shared it) to find his (again, our) cell phone. I handed it to her.

She dialed quickly and waited. Then she launched into a surprisingly Nudge-like stream of words, explaining the situation in about two breaths—and then asked for cookies.

By the ginormous grin on her face I'm gonna guess that her wish was granted. I snuggled deeper into the coat, letting Trin's scent comfort me. He had to be OK. Angel said so. I smiled to myself and she reached over to squeeze my hand.

Within half an hour we were on a gravel driveway in the middle of AZ, a huge house looming above us. Trinity's eyes were just as wide as mine. _"This_ is your mom's house?" He asked Max, awed.

"This place is huge," I breathed. The Flock laughed at us.

"Mom!" Max jumped out of the car practically before it stopped moving, and ran over to tackle a woman who was undoubtedly Dr. Martinez. A girl beside her looked ready to jump at us, standing on tiptoes to try and see inside the car. Iggy climbed over all of us and was out next, then engulfed Ella in a huge hug.

"Think Iggy likes Ella?" Nudge giggled.

Gazzy made a face and got out next, and then we all followed.

Finally, Max released Dr. Martinez and dragged her off the porch to where I was standing with Fang and Trin. Tryherte joined us as well. "Hi, Mom," Fang said pleasantly.

"Mom, this is Santana, Tryherte, and Trin. Trin got shot in the wing and arm, and he's not doing too well. Tryherte can explain better, but we'd like you to take a look at him." Max was surprisingly civil. I crossed my fingers, hoping that the mood would last.

Dr. Martinez smiled and took Trinity's uninjured hand. "I'm Dr. Martinez, obviously. It's nice to meet you. Well, let's go up into my office. You kids help Trin get up—Tryherte, can you fill me in?"

Tryherte nodded and the two walked back up into the house, talking in gibberish doctor lingo. I pulled Trinity's good arm over my shoulder, and Fang helped steady Trinity as we followed Max inside.

Max led us upstairs and into what looked like a regular old doctor's office. Dr. Martinez patted the nearest cot and I helped Trinity lie down; she began peeling the bandages off of him, and then asked Max to open her own wing so that she could have something to contrast Trin's to. She extended Trin's wing and rotated it a bit, noting when he hissed in pain and when he didn't react at all. She then began checking his shoulder and arm, his breathing, his pulse, and then looked up at me.

"You and Trinity are more avian than Max?"

I nodded. "Our hearts are faster, and we have larger wings and air sacs."

"That explains it." She went back to Trinity. "Well, kid," she said breezily, "other than the fever, and passing out today, what other symptoms have you had that aren't normal health?"

Trinity squirmed into a sitting position. "The worst headache in the world, buzzing in my ears, and hot flashes."

"Have you tried any pain killers?"

He nodded. "Tryherte got me some Ibuprofen. It got rid of the headache for a while, but the buzzing and flashes didn't go away."

Dr. Martinez scribbled something down. "Your wing should be good enough to keep out of the bandages now, but your arm still needs to remain immobile. But that doesn't mean you can move your wing much, either. I want you to do a series of stretches that I give you, but that's all. And no flying for a while."

Trinity's eyes betrayed his bitterness. I knew he loved to fly—nearly—as much as I did. "Alright."

"I'll have Jeb look at you when he gets back, since he knows just a bit more about your health than I do. But I don't like that fever. Are you drowsy at all, or have any trouble breathing? Any congestion or stuffiness in your sinuses?"

"Drowsy, yes. But I'm always a bit tired, I don't sleep well. Sometimes I forget how to breathe, so nothing abnormal there. This morning I had the itchiest, runniest nose in the world…but we were parked under a blooming tree, so that's not surprising either."

"Is there anything abnormal that you can think of, not symptoms, but anything at all?" Dr. Martinez seemed a bit worried.

"My chest hurts." He put a hand just below his sternum. "It's not hard to breathe, but my ribs ache. I think it's because of falling down an air vent." He shot an amused glance at me.

"Not my fault," I muttered.

"Yes it was. I told you not to go right."

"I didn't! I went left."

"And then right."

"Only because _you're_ the one who's all paranoid and doesn't like to go the same direction twice in a row—"

"Guys." Dr. Martinez raised an eyebrow at us, and Fang snickered. Max's lips twitched. The doctor turned to Tryherte. "You say that…" they began talking gibberish again.

"I'm going to go get lunch," Max declared, and then left abruptly. I frowned confusedly at Fang.

"Didn't you hear it? A car just pulled up. The only car that visits here, other than Ella's friends', is Jeb's."

"And she went down to get lunch because of this, why…?"

"Because she hates him. No duh." He rolled his eyes. "She's paranoid."

Dr. Martinez turned. "I'm sorry you guys couldn't make it to the wedding," she said. "But I knew Max wouldn't appreciate it. I just hope she doesn't take it too badly."

"It's OK, Mom," Fang said.

"Wait. Did you just imply what I think you said?" Trin asked, eyes wide. Dr. Martinez smiled and held up her hand. "Holy cow."

"Pagan." I stuck my tongue out at him. "But wow, Mrs. M. That's cool. Or is it Mrs. B, now?"

"Mrs. M is fine," she said. "Now… Tryherte, how would you like to see my research shelf? It might help you in the future." The young man's eyes widened, and he nodded. "Alright, follow me. You guys can go hang out—Fang, you know the rules. Explain them to Ana and Trin." The doctor smiled and then led Tryherte out of the room.

"Rules?" I looked at Fang puzzledly.

"Essentially, if you're in a room with a member of the opposite sex the door hast to stay open. No closed doors, unless an adult is with you. And no sharing rooms with members of the opposite sex. And no heavy making out. And no serious fighting. And no spying on each other, stealing each other's stuff, teasing each other too badly, playing Q&A on FanFictionNet…"

"Darn. I always loved those fics."

Fang rolled his eyes at me and ruffled my hair. "Anyway, Ana you'll be bunking with Ella and Max, probably. Try not to rip each other apart. Trin, you'll be with me 'n Iggs. Gazz and Angel share a room with Nudge, since they're pretty harmless and haven't gone through puberty yet. Well, Angel and Gazz haven't."

"Well… I for one want to go meet the infamous Jeb." Trin stood and looked at his discarded shirt. "I don't think I can put this back on with my wing like this…" He grinned lopsidedly, quite obviously trying to be mischievous. Fang bit his lip to try not to laugh as I turned beat red. He knocked fists with Trin's good hand.

"Remind me to get my wing injured next time I wanna show off my abs," Fang said. Trin sniggered and then batted me with his good wing. Fang threw an arm around my shoulders; he was even more at ease here than before. "Come on, you'll love Jeb. Unlike Max. Which I find ironic and irritating."

Fang paused when we reached the large staircase. "Who really wants to _walk?"_ he asked innocently, and then glided down.

I glanced at Trin. "Banisters," he agreed gleefully, and we raced each other to see who could slide down them the fastest. We jumped off before anyone could really notice us. Trinity beamed innocently at Angel, who was giggling.

"I won't tell if you teach me how to do that," she said.

"Sure, Ange," he said. "Now, where's Jeb?"

Fang waved at us. "Come on, he's in the TV room." We followed him through the ground floor of the huge Martinez house, finally stepping into a huge room filled with couches, coffee tables, bookshelves, a computer desk, and a widescreen TV. The gaming platform in front of the TV, the huge speakers, and the board games completed the boy-heaven.

There was a tall, dark-blond man standing in the center of the room, talking animatedly with Nudge and Gazzy. Max was pointedly ignoring him. Jeb was so involved in his excited conversation with Nudge and the Gasman that he didn't notice that we'd entered. Then Trin cleared his throat and Jeb looked up.

He smiled, eyes crinkling at the corners pleasantly. I decided I liked him, then—_**evil **_scientists A) never smiled and B) the few, few that do do it, it's sort of glassy. Jeb wasn't like that at all. It was a full blown, I'm-happy-to-see-you smile.

"Jeb, this is Santana and Trinity Flyte. Guys, this is Jeb Batchelder," Angel said sweetly.

He extended a hand, and we shook. "It's nice to finally meet you," he said to Trin. "I've heard a lot about you and your flock." He smiled at us again.

We smiled. "It would be wonderful if we couldn't say the same thing about you." I didn't pay attention while the guys started talking at all. I drifted towards the _amazing_ aroma in the kitchen. Max stopped glaring at Jeb to glare at me for two-point-five seconds.

I heard Angel in my head. _Don't touch the cookies unless you want Max to eat _**you.**

I most certainly didn't want to be eaten. I glowered dejectedly at Max. I hadn't had chocolate chip cookies since…forever ago. Max seemed to relax when I stopped heading towards the kitchen. I caught Jeb looking at me in amusement. Great. I make wonderful first impressions.

"Hey, get back here you flea bags!"

I nearly jumped out of my skin—certainly, a few feet in the air—as two tiny bodies went bowling through my legs. Barking and squawking filled the room, followed by shouts from a Scottie dog with flapping black wings.

"OMG!" I yelped, nearly getting run over again.

I did get run over by a giant malamute. Angel squealed with glee. "Total!"

"Let me at those brats!" Total was glaring at a pair of mini Totals that had taken shelter behind Angel. One looked at me and I could swear it was grinning.

"Can they talk?" I asked from where I was perched on the arm of the nearest couch.

"No. And you should be glad." Total made a face at me before turning back to the mini Totals. "You two are grounded, you hear?"

I wanted to watch Total lecture his kids about as much as I wanted Max to eat me for stealing her cookies. I looked around the room, taking it all in and trying to decide what to do next. As soon as I could leave without being rude I was exploring down the hall.

"Being a sneak now, are we?"

I nearly jumped out of my skin as Fang appeared not two feet behind me. "That's not funny! Don't do that."

He snickered. "'Kay." I scowled. I didn't believe him. He snickered even more. I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever. I'm exploring. Do you want to join me?"

He stepped around me so that he was in the lead. "Well, considering I've been here before…" He took my hand. "Why don't I give you a tour?"

I stared at him mutely in awe. He couldn't possibly know how hot he looked right now. I now have a bit more sympathy for Max. I nodded mutely. He smiled as he led the way.

"Boy's room." He jerked a thumb towards a closed door that had the sounds of rock music playing behind it. "Girl's room." He pointed clear down the hall. He showed me the bathroom on that floor—boys and girls shared, so make sure to knock and see if anyone's naked in there. Shudders, huh?

"That's the make out room. Don't go in there if you hear suspicious noises. Moaning or groaning? Steer clear unless one of the guys pulls you in there."

I turned bright red.

"OK, unless _I_ pull you in there."

"Sexist PIG!" My voice was shaky.

He laughed and steered me back the way we had came. "Wait a minute, what's that room?"

"The study, we're not supposed to be in there because we might mix up papers." He shrugged. "Want to fly, or watch Total wrestle his kids?"

I grinned. "Well, how about we help them?" He caught my grin and a few seconds later we, along with the two mini Totals, were racing through the sky with a very annoyed grown up Total behind us. Akila followed on the ground, barking up at us with a hint of mother-hen attitude.

After about 10 minutes of Total yelling at us the pups went down by Akila after he threatened to take away TV for a month. Fang and I kept flying, laughing our guts out. Fang did an awesome Total impression.

"If you don't get back here right now I'm going to make sure you eat kibble for a week! And sleep outside! In a doghouse! You know I will! GET BACK HERE!"

I nearly fell out of the sky laughing so hard.

Fang was laughing as well, softly compared to me but it was probably the hardest he'd laughed for a while. I grinned at him through tears of laughter. "You're almost as good as the Gasman!"

"Living with him, I have to be." He snickered, and we angled down towards the ground. I began to race him back as soon as our feet touched the ground. "Cheater!"

I just laughed.

When we got inside, Iggy and Ella were sitting on a couch with a movie playing. Nudge was playing Barbies with Angel.

I turned to Fang, ready with a witty come back as to why he won and I didn't, and my phone buzzed. Ok, it was Trin's phone, but I had it with me. I answered. "Hello?"

"Heyo! Are you interested in dancing?"

"What? Who is this?"

"Bethie! Beth. Whatever. Anyway, I need a two week notice, and I know the answer, but it's polite to ask."

Fang looked at me funny and Angel started giggling, and I don't think it had anything to do with the Barbies.

"What? No! You know I'm not going to dance. _No_." I tried to make my voice firm. It didn't work.

"Oh, it's ok. I'll sign everybody up. I'm going to have to pull a lot of favors though...anyway, tell Trin to get well soon! Seriously, KIX keeps eating all the ice cream. Haha, byez!" _click_.

I sighed. "Only for the Oreos and ice cream," I said to myself.

Fang nodded solemnly. "Anything for the Oreos." I punched him in the side.

"Shut up."

His lips twitched, and he nodded at the kitchen. "Doesn't look like Max is in there. Want to see what's left of the cookies?"

I laughed. "Totally! Let's go before she catches us!" I grabbed his arm and dragged him to the kitchen. Everybody laughed.

"She's just as bad as Max."

I rolled my eyes as I poured glasses of milk for Fang and myself. I was _not_ as bad as Max.

Fang made his eyes wide and round as he stared at the glass I offered him. "You're sharing? It's a miracle."

I stuck my tongue out at him. "Just take it before I dump it on your head." He laughed, and took it from me and handed me a cookie instead.

"Fine, bossy. Just remember to be ready to run if Max catches us."

"Uh-huh." I bit into the awesome smelling cookie. And it actually tasted better than it smelled. "Mmm!" He grinned and snatched the half-eaten cookie, dipped it into the glass of milk, and took a bite. I glared at him. "My cookie," I mumbled.

"Yours tastes better than mine!" He said accusingly, through a mouthful of crumbs.

I eyed him warily as I grabbed another cookie. Which he took from me again after I bit into it. I glared at him. "Stop that!"

He gave me a cookie crumb grin.

"Yours always taste better!"

I grabbed the glass of milk and took a gulp. "Mm. Your milk tastes good."

"Only cause I back-washed."

I practically spewed the milk out through my nose. "What the heck! You jerk!" I coughed.

He grinned at me. "What can I say? I taste as good as I look. Same goes for you." I threw the milk over him.

"You say what?"

"Ana!"

And let's just say that the chaos that ensued used up a good gallon of milk, a jug of juice, some lemonade, a messy kitchen, and a very shocked Dr. M. Along with the whole gang of bird kids laughing their heads off.

Everyone had to take turns taking showers--Max glared at all of us in disdain due to the fact that we were covered in milk and other liquids, and we girls were tracking liquid all through the room we shared with her. Angel was the first to take a shower, then Nudge, Gazzy, Iggy, and Ella. Fang chose to hose off outside to save time, leaving me to fight with Trin over who got to take the shower next

"You started it, you can go last." He tried to dodge around me, but I caught his arm.

"Nuh-uh. Ever here of ladies first?"

"Sexist!"

"No, it's called being a gentleman. Tough luck!" I shut the door quickly, right in his face, and locked it tightly. He pounded on it just to be annoying, and I heard him sit down on the other side. "Nice, a bodyguard." I rolled my eyes and kicked off my shoes as I turned on the hot water. You might think it a bit awkward to undress with someone sitting right outside the door, but it's better than having to undress with said someone right on the other side of a tree. Finally, I stepped into the shower and let it trickle through my hair, burning hot against my skin.

"How long's it been since you last took a shower?" Trinity called.

"None of your business." I teased, and threw a shampoo bottle at the door.

He laughed. "No need to be mean to the beauty products."

I rolled my eyes. "You're just mad because I get the shower."

We were silent the rest of the time I was in the shower.

When I finally stepped out of the shower, wrapped myself in a towel and picked up my tattered, totally ruined-forever clothes, Trinity was talking to someone outside. I thought it might be Max, and was only slightly hesitant to open the door—so I kicked it open without a care.

And then froze, petrified.

Trin was talking to Fang.

"Lookin' good." He winked at me. I blushed furiously and would have thrown my food fight covered clothes at him just because, but considering I'd have to pick them up I didn't. I tried to give a convincing glare, the kind of glare that let's someone know they are _so dead_ later. I don't think it worked.

"Later. I swear." I dodged around them and continued to our room, where I slammed the door behind me and groaned. Boys. The root of all my troubles lately. Apparently that rule of normalcy even applies to bird kids. Who knows?

I was glad I had taken my turn next to last; I had the room all to myself as I changed. Then again, maybe I wasn't so glad. I had plenty of time to wonder about what Trin and Fang were saying. Not that it should matter. After deliberating for a moment I finished dressing and ever so sneakily made no noise on my way over to the door, and I listened.

Fang was talking at the moment. "…really nice shoulders…"

Trin made a noise of agreement. "It's from the amount of strain that's put on the body due to how huge our wings are, her body's so well defined. And cause she's just plain gorgeous." Fang snickered softly, as if he could see how red I was turning from where I stood on the other side of the door. "There was this one time at Sabe's house, she was playing dress up with Kate—this was back when we were a lot younger—and Kate and Sabe's little sisters forced her to wear this really _terrible_ outfit. It was all fluff and poufy fabric. But it was red, and _somehow_ Ana managed to look amazing. It was really short though, and really low cut…"

"Whoa, dude… Mental images! I think I got brain damage." Insert a wolf-whistle.

I was just about to burst out and smack them both upside the head and get Max to come shout at them while I beat them to a pulp, but before I could open the door someone went BANG! against it and shouted "BOO!"

I screamed like a sissy, falling backwards over one of Ella's backpacks. "Oh my GOD, Fang you jerk!" I shouted, hearing the guys cracking up on the other side of the door. I ripped open the door, blowing hair out of my face. "You jerks!"

"Oh my gosh, look at her fa-fa-face!" Trinity was on his knees, clutching his stomach. Fang had fallen flat when I opened the door, and he was laughing so hard that he couldn't get up. I kicked him hard, but he curled up and laughed harder.

"You—you—you—!" I was so mad at them. My cheeks were burning. "I'm gonna get Max!"

That shut them up fast.

"No Ana!"

"Don't!"

I tried to dart down the hall, but Trin tripped me. I stumbled, and Fang had enough time to pin me to the wall. I glared at him and attempted to growl menacingly at him, ending in a giggle as he began to tickle me. "Let. Me. Go."

"Not unless you say you won't go to Max."

"Nev--Giggle-Nev--hiccup--ver."

"Tough luck then."

"Some—hic—one—snort—help!" I was crying from laughter, and my sides hurt so bad…

Trin was leaning against the opposite wall grinning. I guess he was keeping some sort of look out for Max in case I managed to yell. I was laughing so hard I couldn't get enough air to do that though, so no worry there.

"I'll help if you don't get Max." Trin teased. I shot him a glare before I was helplessly hiccupping with laughter again.

"So-hic-mean-hic!"

"That wasn't the question. Sheesh, girls. You ask them what time it is and they tell you the date. Ask them two-plus-two, and you get something about shoes." Fang nodded, still tickling.

"FINE!" I bawled.

"There we go. That wasn't so hard now was it?"

"TRIN!"

"Oh, all right." He tackled Fang and they started wrestling. "Run for it!"

I was happy to obey; sprinting to an open window and diving out of it head-first. My wings caught me before I could impale myself on a tree, then glided down to the front door where Ella and Max were sitting, looking at a magazine.

"Hey Ana!" Ella said cheerfully. "Wanna see what kind of guy is right for you?"

"No thanks. Hey Max, there's a couple sexist pigs by the name of Fang and Trin on the second floor that you might be interested in and YES! I LIED!" I yelled up at the open window and laughed before turning to the woods and taking off. "Gotta run for my life now! Bye!"

"Wonder what that was about."

"No idea."

Iggy came out onto the porch as Max stormed inside to beat up Fang and Trin, who were currently silent and hiding in the attic—not that Iggy would tell Max that. Ella found his hand and guided him down so that he was sitting on the porch steps next to her. "Hey Iggs." He could tell she was smiling at him, he could hear it in her voice.

He gave her a lopsided grin. "Hey Ella." He could tell she was blushing.

"Hey, um....what do you wanna do? I doubt you want to know what guy is perfect for you." She found herself turned scarlet. How could she say that?!?

Iggs snorted, thankfully. "I dunno. Wanna go into town?"

Ella made a face. "There's nothing in town."

"There's ice cream."

"We've got ice cream here."

Iggy's eyebrows rose. "We do?"

"Yup!" She grabbed his hand and led him to the kitchen, and dropped it as she got bowls and spoons. "What kind do you want?"

"Vanilla." He snorted again. She rolled her eyes.

"I should have guessed." They were silent as she dished up the dessert, only murmuring a 'thanks' and 'you're welcome' as she handed him his bowl. Their hands brushed and she turned bright red yet again, not exactly from the physical contact itself but because _he_ was blushing as well.

She found herself watching him as he lifted his spoon to his lips and took a huge mouthful of ice cream without smearing it or missing his mouth at all.

Watching him caused her to mess up herself, and a spoonful of her own ice cream hit the floor. She blushed, and turned around to grab a towel to clean it up but when she turned back around Iggy had already grabbed a napkin and was taking care of it. She watched him wordlessly, blushing even more.

His wings were flexing at his back, shivering every now and then as the cold snack brushed against his teeth. They were just as—dare she say it?—as the rest of him.

"Ella?" She jumped. "What is it? I can feel you staring."

Ella stuttered for a few moments, and then he grinned. "Oh, I get it. Do I look like Cullen or someone?"

"No!" She yelped. "Not Edward! Edward doesn't have wings or red hair, Iggs." Ella took a deep breath.

"He probably does if you look hard enough on the web. Fans are crazy sometimes, but in a good way." He smirked at her, and flexed his wings again, testing her reaction. He grinned when she shivered again. "What is it? Really?"

"Nuh-nuh-nuh… Oh God, I sound so stupid!"

"_I _think you sound cute." He placed his bowl in the sink. "What do you want to do? I could hang out with you, or I could go hang out with Gas."

She started at how uncertain he sounded, so she reacted by just blurting out her answer Nudge-style. "Hangoutwithyou!" She coughed, embarrassed again. "But I don't know what we'd do..."

"I could quiz you on being normal?"

"How does that work?"

He shrugged. "How do you stand homework?"

She laughed at him, soon realizing how utterly mystified he was about her—just as mystified as she was about him.


	6. Chapter 5: Genes

**A/N:** _School's almost over. Be patient. Soon we'll update much faster! Oh, and about the abrupt POV changes... Suck it uuuuuuup. (Thanks, Mark. Now you got that in my head...)_

Wing It

**Chapter 5**

"Ana can you bring me that box? The one with all the books."

Jeb had wanted to rearrange the layout in the study, so that's what I was doing here now. I'd been silly enough to volunteer. The place had boxes of books everywhere, and he wanted 'that box.' So specific and helpful. Bah.

"This one?" I stepped around a leaning tower of boxes—these were full of what looked like very important papers--and picked up the box I thought he'd pointed at.

"Yes."

"Ok." I hefted it up and made my way back over—I didn't knock over anything, ha! "What a scientist and a vet want to do with books on poetry I have no clue, but here you are." I plopped it beside him and he laughed.

"What, you've never heard of Robert Frost?"

"Shel Silverstein?" I countered, holding up a copy of _Where the Sidewalk Ends_.

"Ella's old books, they've grown on me."

I smiled. How Max could have a grudge against this guy and still manage to hold onto it was beyond me. We all messed up, sure, but anyone who read Shel Silverstein definitely wasn't completely evil. Or if they were they had to be really twisted, which he wasn't. I would know, check out my childhood! Check out everyone's childhood! Her own flock seemed pretty much over it, why wasn't she?

"Max has issues."

"What was that Ana?"

"Nothing!"

"Yeah, what did you say Ana?"

"Trin!"

Oh yeah, I am the anti-Max. I so do not freak when people sneak up on me. Nope. Never.

"Are you here to help Trinity?" Jeb looked up from alphabetizing the book shelf. "Or do you want something?" Trin shook his head.

"No, I don't want anything, I'm here to help. What would you have me do?"

I grinned. "You can help me move _that_ over _there_."

He groaned.

I was talking about the big old desk that had once been up against the wall, but now it was in the middle of the room. Jeb had needed it moved to get the bookshelf in, now we had to move it the rest of the way to its new home alongside the opposite wall.

"Oh, come on you big baby."

In truth it wasn't that hard to move, it was more of an obstacle not to run over anything or drop it. When we were done with that the rest of the work flew by easily. Trin had missed most of the furniture moving. Cheater. He was only around for the sorting of books, and that was only time consuming. It wasn't bad, they were both book nuts and Jeb knew a ton of semi-useless but cool information. Part of being a once mad scientist I guess. The only bad thing about it was when they tried to outsmart each other. I'm bright, so I managed to follow most of their babble for a while, but then I was lost. It ended with Jeb laughing as he slid the last book into place.

"Well, Trin, I guess it goes without saying that you are as sharp as your mother."

I felt Trin stiffen beside me. We'd just finished sorting through the papers. "You knew my mom?"

"I'm proud to say I worked with her. Elizabeth was a brilliant woman."

"Elizabeth..." Trinity seemed dazed.

"Worked with her?" I questioned softly. "Did she work in ITEX?"

Jeb bit his lip. "You could say that."

"Straight answers please." So I was snappish. Deal with it.

"She was...an experiment. Like you." He was watching Trin warily, like he was expecting some crazy Max-like reaction. "She was the second successful avian American.

Trin seemed to snap out of it just a bit. _"Second?"_

"Your father was the first."

Dude. You've got to be joking--

"What happened to them?" Trinity demanded. "They escaped, right?"

Jeb nodded slowly. "I believe they did. I know that ITEX was after them even more desperately than they're after you guys. But I also know that something happened to them that sent them off the map for the last ten years or so—ITEX has cooled off and given up on them mostly. And somehow ITEX got you, Trin, so…yeah."

I was feeling like I was intruding on something. Like maybe Trin was really going to have a Max-freak-out moment and that wasn't something he'd want me around for. Then again, it wasn't even something _I_ wanted to be around for. I wanted to know about his parents, but if he wanted me to know...

While Jeb and Trin kept having their stare down I noiselessly slipped through the door. Trin could tell me later.

* * *

**Trinity**

"What do you mean? Itex got me. So what? They knew about me? I wasn't a test tube baby?"

"And your parents weren't artificially bred, either. You were their son, before they got recaptured, or maybe ITEX stole you—but don't quote me on that, I'm not sure."

"So...I..." I couldn't think. I held my face in my hands before taking a breath and looking at Jeb again. I was too confused to care that my cheeks were turning red and my eyes were stinging. "Who were they? You knew them. What were they like? Mom was smart, you said."

"Elizabeth was one of the kindest women on Earth. She was tall, and beautiful, and strong. She was the dark one, with a dark tan and dark brown hair. Your father was actually pretty decent. More than just decent. He was a saint—and the wings made him look like an angel; they were huge and white. Your dad was the blond one, too, so he really looked like a Gabriel or something. The older ITEX people called him their golden boy." Jeb sat back and sighed. "We're about the same age, so I didn't get to interact with them much. When I worked with your mother, she had been caught and your father was still outside. Let me tell you, Elizabeth made my life worthwhile for the three weeks she was there. We talked about ITEX, we talked about the outside world, we talked about books and art and music; everything… She was the one that got me on the right track and started me helping the experiments."

"So they didn't abandon me," I said hoarsely, to myself.

"From what I hear, ITEX had a hell of a time trying to get you for themselves. I'd say your parents either died trying to keep you, or are still out there, just waiting to hear that you're alive." Jeb looked down at me with kind eyes. "Don't blame them. They were good people."

I nodded, dazed yet again. "My parents..." My parents were amazing.

And I was sure they were alive. Somewhere.

**

* * *

**

**Ana**

I'd found my way onto the roof again. I was waiting. What I was waiting for I had no clue. Trin to just come right on up here after talking with Jeb so he could tell me everything? No. Not only did he not know I was up here, but he probably wouldn't tell me anyway. I buried my head in my arms.

"Do you always come up here to sulk?"

"FANG!" I nearly jumped out of my skin for the second time, so I _really _wasn't happy. "Don't do that!"

He rolled his eyes. "What, do you want me to stomp around like an Orc all the time?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back into an outcropping that probably held a window or something—I couldn't tell from this angle.

"No, but if it saves me a heart-attack or two…"

Fang's lips twitched. "Well, maybe I'll only make you _faint_. That way I can catch you and be gallant and all that."

I could just hear Max slapping him and calling him a pig right now, but I'd read romances, watched them, loved them, and the thought of him being chivalrous or something did appeal to me. However, the fainting-out-of-fright _wasn't._ I could remember that one episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" where she dressed up as an old-fashioned lady and the costume was cursed so she became it, and then Angel was all "They fainted all over, dude, it was terrible!" And then there was the "Dirty Jobs" episode with the fainting goats...

So, I stood and turned to face Fang, one hand on my hip. I could feel a blush coming on. "Fainting, no. But if you act right, maybe I might swoon."

He smirked at me, and gestured for me to join him. I did. "So. What do I have to do to make you swoon?"

Now, _that _I elbowed him for.

"Hey! Just asking." He laughed.

I knew I was red, but I shook out my hair anyway--trying to look calm and confident. "Oh, I dunno. I'd say be you, but being you gives me heart attacks so I don't think so--"

"If I give you heart attacks you must _really_ like me."

"Shut up!" I shoved him again, still good naturedly. "Fright and like are two different things."

He shrugged, still smiling. "Yeah, I know." He bumped his head against the outcropping. "The sky's pretty again."

"Way to change topic."

"Yup."

But he was right. The sun had just barely sunk past the horizon, and the sky was awash in colors. Deep reds, purples, blues... The colors were so vivid and beautiful they could make your head spin. I turned to face the sun and let the wind caress my face. It ran hands through my hair, pulling it back into a dark brown banner, with sun-bleached tiger stripes mingling through the billowing locks. My hair was probably the only thing I was proud of, and right now—right now I felt beautiful, like I was alone in the world.

Of course, then Fang had to bring me back to earth by sliding his arms around my neck, leaning against my shoulders from behind. My wings pressed against his chest and instead of feeling twitchy (how I usually felt when my wings were pinned to my back), I felt so wonderfully at peace... The very last bit of my guard came down, my shoulders relaxed, and I leaned back into Fang. My head tilted to the side, wonderfully limp, resting against the side of his.

This time, as I drifted away from the world to immerse myself in the beauty of God's creation (if it indeed was His), Fang came with me.

"It's beautiful," he breathed in my ear "just like you. Ana..." I lifted my head just a bit, to kiss the underside of his jaw. I don't know why I did, it just felt right. "Ana...Why were you up here? What was bothering you?"

Leave it to him to ruin the moment.

I pulled away, but he caught my wrist and turned me around. "Ana."

I sighed. "Jeb knew Trin's parents. It's not a big deal, it shouldn't get to me. I don't know why it does. It just--" I cut myself off, shaking my head uselessly.

Fang sighed along empathetically. "I know what you mean."

"Really?"

"The thing in the book about my mom? Totally fiction… None of us know anything about our mysterious parents, not even a whisper. Well, none of us, excluding Max."

"That's terrible for Patterson to put that in there if it's fiction," I muttered, thinking of how I might feel if it were me. "I kind of wish my parents were important, but I think they weren't. Trin's were the first two successful avian-Americans. Mine were probably donors. Who knows, with how warped the world is?"

"The world's really warped."

"Seems like it."

Fang exhaled lengthily, his warm breath stroking my cheek. Simultaneously, we gave up on the conversation and looked up.

The night was beautiful. You could see just about every star twinkling and shining, the sound of various birds and night creatures creating a nice melody as the last of the sun's rays disappeared over the horizon. I swear it looked like if we were to fly high enough we could touch the Milky Way, it was so gosh darn pretty.

As if reading my thoughts Fang held out his hand, so, also wordlessly, I took his offer. We leapt off the roof together, and soared into the night. The Prince and Princess of Darkness.

* * *

**3****rd**** POV**

Trinity stepped into the dark hallway and paused, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness. Soon, he was able to make out the shapes of backpacks and socks left in the hallway; his keen gaze landed on something lying in the moonlight, but he decided to leave it where it was in case Anna came looking for it—if it was still there when he came back, he'd pick it up.

The young hybrid set off down the hall, his steps light and silent. And yet, it seemed as if Dr. Martinez heard him coming, because she opened the door to Jeb's office just as he passed it. "Trinity, can I speak to you?" She asked softly.

He nodded, slightly confused, but followed her inside. The door closed behind him and instinctively he switched to his peripheral vision to scout out any attackers or escape routes. He noted that Jeb was there as well, sitting on his desk. "Something wrong?" Trinity asked, his voice low and quiet.

"Possibly, but don't jump to any conclusions. Anyway, I told you I'd let Jeb take a look at you," Dr. Martinez explained calmly. "If that's alright with you, of course."

"Sure." No, it wasn't. He didn't like anyone—anyone other than his flock mates—touching him. But he didn't have much of a choice if he wanted a clean bill of health, a signed prescription of _flying, flying, flying._..

"Alright, let's go to the office," Jeb said. Trinity turned and opened the door and walked out, leading the way down the hall to Dr. Martinez's office. He flipped on the lights as he entered and sat down on one of the cots.

"I'm going to need you to take off your shirt," Jeb said, referring to the extremely loose t-shirt Trinity had thrown on over himself to keep warm in the cool desert air. Trinity took it off reluctantly, feeling as though it was a last line of defense against the cold, sterile hands of all white-coats, hands that he was imagining, _remembering..._

He nearly jumped out of his skin as Jeb touched his shoulder to keep him still while extending the injured wing. Jeb's grip on his shoulder tightened for a moment, comfortingly, as if sensing the cause of the sudden shudder racked Trinity's frame. Trinity's hand clenched the sheet beneath him with a grip of steel, holding on to it for dear-life. His jaw was tight, and his eyes were glassy, remembering...

"It's alright," Jeb murmured in his ear. "She can't hurt you anymore."

Trinity exhaled sharply and glared up at the former white-coat. "What are you talking about?" He demanded harshly, and jerked his wing back to his body.

Jeb watched him carefully, but let the subject drop. He turned to Dr. Martinez and murmured some things to her, gesturing with his hands as if trying to draw a picture in the air for her.

Trinity waited.

Dr. Martinez turned worried eyes on the young man, whose gaze had turned to distant steel. She bit her lip. "It's been on my mind ever since I looked you over earlier. You know how bird wings are hollow, and very brittle?" He nodded. "Most birds that break their wings don't get fractures, they get shatters. Those can't heal. They can usually never use that wing ever again, and usually, if caught, the wing is amputated and they're sent to a rescue—"

Trinity knew exactly what was going on. He felt cold. "Have any of Max's flock ever broken any wing-bones?" He asked as calmly as he could.

"Gaz did, once. A piece of shrapnel from one of his experiments hit him hard enough to shatter the bone. Fortunately, his and the rest of his flock's bones are denser than a regular bird's, so it healed, and you see how Gazzy flies now..."

"But because I'm more avian than them, you're worried my bones are also more brittle, I understand," Trinity whispered, and tried to block out the images of the birds he'd seen on Wild Rescue and on Animal Planet, who'd had wings amputated... An involuntary shudder racked his body.

Dr. Martinez's dark eyes were soft and sympathetic. "Don't quote me on that," she said. "I might be wrong."

"In fact, I think that you're going to be fine," Jeb said, speaking for the first time. "You have much higher levels of endurance and better healing abilities than even Fang, I think, and the medicine and therapy and things we can give you are much more effective than what a vet can give a plain bird. You'll be fine, Trin, but we thought you ought to be warned."

Silence.

"Trin?"

Without a word Trinity vaulted off the bed and went for the window. He heard Dr. Martinez shout at him, but she stopped quickly. Jeb had probably stopped her. That was good.

He didn't fly, but he did make his way onto the roof. He jumped when he saw movement out of his peripheral vision, and didn't relax when he saw who it was. Fang and Ana. Apparently returning from a flight. Together. His jaw clenched.

It didn't appear like they noticed him. Ana paused briefly, kissed Fang, then quickly and quietly slipped into her own window. Some part of Trin wondered if they'd been doing this every night. Lost in his steely thoughts, he jumped like everyone else when Fang spoke from behind him.

"See anything interesting?"

Trinity shrugged noncommittally. "If you hurt her, you're dead," he said, but didn't inject any malice into his voice because—hey, he _did_ like Fang.

"I wasn't the one breaking her heart dude." Fang shook out his wings without looking at Trin. Trin glared.

"You don't know--"

"I know." Fang looked him straight on. "Max and me, remember? I know." He looked off again.

After a moment, Trin sighed and looked away. "I didn't know--that's wrong. I knew. I just....I didn't...Urgh." Without thinking, he shoved Fang away. "How? How are you so perfect? You're not different from me. You're not better!" Trin stood there, teeth grinding together. Fang slid away to the side, out of reach. He held his hands up, palms out, in peace.

"You're right. But I'm moving. Make a move, man."

After a long moment, Trin spit on the roof and took a couple steps back. "I'm sorry. It's not you." He made to leave.

Fang grabbed his shoulder and raised his eyebrow. King of silence. King of saying entire paragraphs in no words at all. King of saying 'tell me now or I get Ana up here to kick your butt' without actually saying it.

Or maybe Trin was reading too far into it. Maybe it was just a silent question. Maybe Trin had an Ana obsession. Much more likely.

Trin sighed and sat down heavily. Fang followed. "I once—once—tried to kiss Ana. Back when we were thirteen. She didn't want that back then, and she told me that she'd _never_ want me, and it hurt so badly that... I didn't want to risk getting rejected again. I didn't want to risk having the relationship it says you and Max have in the book. I don't _want_ to get hurt anymore. Everyone in my life has hurt me!" Trinity felt his face grow hot, and furiously wiped at his eyes. "I just don't want to give people an opening to hurt me, even if it is accidental on their part."

"You have to take things in stride, Trin. People grow up, and people change. You may not want to get hurt, but you're gonna have to risk it. She's ready now, and you're pushing her away."

"But she's got you now," Trin said softly, his voice only just above the voice of the wind. "She's happier than I could ever make her."

"Are you sure?" Fang's voice matched his. "Sure, she's happy enough, but she'd rather have you. I can tell." He leaned back and crossed his arms behind his head. "The real question is what's best for her."

"But what if I'm not the best for her?" Trin retorted. "She may want me, but sometimes we don't want what's best..."

"Dude!" Fang jumped up, glaring at Trin like he was an idiot. "Sure, we might not know what's best, but aren't you going to do anything? Anything at all? At least act like it! You can't just not care!" He glared off in the distance, no longer talking to Trin. "That's what you both keep doing..."

"What?"

Fang gave Trin another look. This look saying "put it together, genius. No freaking duh."

Trinity looked away. "She's a saint, you know that. She wouldn't let go of you now, even if I did show that I love her like Hell."

"Doesn't she deserve options? Not that I won't fight for her, but she deserves--no, she _needs_ a choice. It's a requirement."

"Fine!" Trinity gave in. "But so what? What do I do now?"

Fang didn't even bother with a look this time. "Tell her."

"But—"

"No buts."

"Fine." Trin bit his lip.

"Well," Fang looked up at the sky "Now that that's settled, what's really eating at you?"

The fair-haired boy beside him swallowed hard and tucked his knees beneath his chin, debating silently whether to tell the truth or not. Fang waited, seemingly aware of the mental war that was going on in his friend's head. Finally, he said, "If it helps, it was a lie."

"What?"

"In real life, none of us have ever found our parents. Ever. Only Max. It was a lie that Patterson put in there to make things more interesting." Fang looked down at his hands. "Ana told me that you and Jeb were talking about your parents."

"Yeah."

"Is that what's bothering you?"

"Sort of." Trinity bit his lip and tried to find the source of all his issues—and came to the conclusion that girls were at the root of all his problems. "I can deal with my parents. They're out there, somewhere. They probably don't know I'm alive. I'm going to find them. It's that simple. I'm only angry at ITEX, I'm only angry at myself... But there's something else. It's complicated."

Fang glanced at Trin like, _I can keep up._

"At ITEX, there was this one scientist who always came to see me. At first, she was really nice. She gave me food and a soft blanket, instead of those ones that feel like they're made of steel wool, you know?" Fang winced and nodded. "Karen. She always gave me painkillers and stuff after really bad test days, and she was just really, really awesome to me. But then..." Trinity could feel his throat closing up, and he swallowed hard, trying to keep his voice steady. "I don't know how it happened. I guess it was gradual, but then..." He couldn't finish, and buried his face in his knees. He could feel cold hands touching him, stroking his skin, touching him... He shuddered and tried to force away the memories. "Please don't tell Ana." His voice was feeble.

"Oh my God, Trin." Fang's eyes were wide with shock—a first. He put an arm around his companion and squeezed Trin's hand. He could feel the other boy shaking. Fang felt a sudden rise of morbid curiosity, but he beat it back and focused on comforting his friend. "I won't tell Ana," he promised. "But, are you OK?"

Trin shrugged weakly. "I'm never OK."

Fang bit his lip. He'd never had to deal with this sort of stuff before. Iggy was prone to being dramatic sometimes, and at times he was a bit withdrawn and emo about his eyes, but that was _nothing_ compared to this. Iggy could deal with his eyes. But...How did one deal with this sort of stuff?

He'd read something online, but that had said that right afterwards you had to go to the hospital and get therapy and all sorts of stuff. How could Trin do that? He'd die before going to another hospital, he was almost sure of that. The wing had been an emergency, and they'd been lucky to find such compassionate people there. At another hospital they might not be so lucky. At another hospital, for treating this sort of stuff, Fang could just _imagine_ the amount of personal space that would be invaded, the ruckus that would be made, all the attention that would be centered on Trin. There was no way Trin would do that.

"When was this?" He asked quietly.

"Before Dad rescued me," Trin mumbled. "Over ten years ago."

"And it still—"

"Yes!" Trinity's voice broke and faded to a whisper.

"Oh." Fang looked away and tried to give off his best comforting aura. What the heck else was he supposed to do?

Trinity bit his lip to keep it from shaking. "I'm sorry," he rasped. "This is really awkward. I'm sorry."

"No problem." Acting on a whim Fang spread his wing out to stretch across Trin's shoulder. "It's what friends are for, right? To listen and all that jazz."

Trinity looked up at Fang and their eyes met. The two young men stared at each other, and something instinctual clicked inside both of them. Fang pulled his friend into his arms and squeezed tightly, like an older brother would—and Trinity sniffed and ducked his head under the protective shelter of Fang's wings. He felt more at home here than he had ever felt in _years._ Ages.

There was a suspicion lurking in the back of Trin's mind, but he couldn't quite grasp it at the moment due to his anguish-clouded thoughts. All he knew was that there was something familiar in Fang's scent and appearance that comforted him, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

Fang squeezed Trin's shoulder eventually and stood. "Come on, dude, it's past midnight," he said quietly.

Trinity stood as well and rubbed his eyes. "Fang?" He asked in a surprisingly steady voice.

"Cha?"

"Are we really friends?"

Fang blinked. He tried to figure out where this question was coming from, but he couldn't pinpoint it: He only knew that he could, somehow, understand it. "Really and truly, bro." He held his fist up. "We're flock mates now. Nothing can change that. We're brothers."

* * *

**Ana**

The next morning I woke feeling better than I had in what felt like years. The time with Fang had really helped me just too...to relax. I felt happier. More hopeful.

Until I heard Gasman and Iggy plotting something anyway, but I grinned as I walked right on by the door. They were Max's problem, not mine.

Speaking of Max, I paused by the bathroom on my way down the hall. Sure enough I could hear the shower going. Even as I stood I could see the little tendrils of steam making their ways out from under the door. The steam would get much, much thicker. You'd think hot water was going extinct with how that girl used it.

If I was actually worried about the warmth of _my _showers, I'd be telling her to get her arse out here all ready. But I have more pressing matters in mind.

Cookies.

I could smell them already, and they were apparently even more amazing than yesterday because my mouth began watering immediately. Yesterday, I'd only craved them. Now, it was like they were heroin or something.

I ran downstairs and slid into the kitchen: Only Ella and Dr. Martinez were there, thank God! I looked at them with pleading eyes. "Can I have a plate? And some more to hide from Max for the others?" I begged.

Dr. Martinez laughed. "You can have a plate for yourself, and I have another batch just for Max. The rest are for everyone else.

"Yay!" I grabbed a plate and pulled as many cookies as Ella would let me onto it. "I love you!" I cheered, and ran off to hide from Max. But as I made my way to turn back to the hall again a long, lean arm blocked my way.

"Where do you think you're going?"

I heard Ella giggle behind me as I sucked in a guilty breath and tried not to look like a pouting two year old. "Hiding from Max. With cookies."

Fang laughed. "And you weren't going to share with me?"

"Last time I did that we ended up covered in baking materials," I pointed out. "I just washed my hair. Seriously, dude, do you have any idea how hard it is to get clumped flour out of your hair?"

He slipped an arm around my shoulders and stole a cookie which he bit into, causing me to glare at him. "You know you could have let me help you." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

I smacked the cookie out of his hand, a waste of a perfectly good cookie that was sadly necessary. Before I could utter a single word Dr. M had smacked him lightly with a wooden spoon. "Hey, hey, none of that. I know you know better, Fang."

He grinned at her roguishly. "Yes, Mrs. M."

Whether that was to the 'None of that' or to the 'you know better', I couldn't tell.

Tryherte tramped in, soaked. "I'm here to warn you that The Gasman and The Igster are on the loose."

I blinked. "How'd you get soaked?" I asked, rather fearfully.

His face was as expressionless as any bird kid's playing poker. "They made their own home made water guns. They're awesome. And cold." He whipped one out from behind his back as Iggy and Gasman jumped out and crowed. "And now you get it!" They all cackled like maniacs.

I glanced at Fang. He looked at me. I nodded at him.

We made like mascara and ran.

"Traitors!"

We got hit in the back as we ran, but it was great as they chased us down the hall and everyone jumped out to see what was happening and got hit. All the doors were closed within, like, 20 seconds of each other accompanied by a lot of squeals. We could hear Gazzy and Tryherte in the hall. You couldn't hear Iggy, but you could tell where he was because without warning he'd whip open a door and get everyone inside.

And, judging by the closeness of the squealing and shouting as cold water hit people, and how it was coming from the room beside us, I guessed that we were next. Fang and I were pressed up in the small doorway, our backs right up against the door and our feet planted on the nearest bookshelf to prop us there, effectively barricading the only way into the room.

Fang's right arm was around my shoulders, and it was really comfortable. Especially since I didn't have to actually be completely against the hard, wooden door with his arm in the way. Iggy pounced against the door, probably expecting it to fly open, but to Fang's amusement (revealed in a smirk) and to mine (expressed in a peal of evil, cackling laughter), the door didn't budge.

"HEY! NO FAIR!" Iggy bawled.

"Too bad!" I called.

_"Psst!"_

I looked up and craned my neck to try and see the window, which was around the corner of the doorway. Trin was hanging just outside the window, upside down. The actual window was open, but in this room there were screens as well, so he couldn't get in. "Help!" He whispered.

I tapped my chin. "I dunno..."

"Ana!"

With a dramtic sigh I leaped across the room and popped the screen out of place before going back to my spot by Fang _right _as Iggy tried to get in again. Oh yeah. I was smooth.

Fang laughed. Trin's lips twisted into a slight smile, but I noticed that he was blushing slightly and his eyes were grim. Talk about a mix of emotions.

"Sheesh, weirdo, come and help us. We can't _sit _here forever," I called. "Hand me that chair."

He pretended to contemplate.

"Trin!"

"Fine."

When the chair was beside the door I flopped onto the spare bed. "Fine."

"Sooooo...." Iggy banged against the door. "Now what?"

"Go find Max!" Fang suggested evilly.

The banging ceased and you could hear a ton of other doors opening and slamming shut. "She's not here! Next floor!" Gasman and followers ran down after--and I think Tryherte fell. Down the stairs. Ouch.

Trinity looked down at me. "Think we can escape?"

"Totally!" I jumped out the window and took off as fast as I possibly could. I had no idea how far those water guns could shoot, and I didn't want to unless I was WAY outta range. That was cold!

Fang caught up, corkscrewing continuously and looking back at the window. "You know," he said, "Trinity can't fly."

I grimaced. "Crap. I forgot." Without a word I dove back down to the house, flying by the window to point up, and then landed easily on the roof. "There." I shot a look at Fang as he alighted beside me. Trinity clambered up soon after and rolled his eyes.

"Thanks for remembering me."

"Sorry!" I bristled slightly. "I wish you'd get better soon. You're boring to fight with when you can't like, you know, fight back."

"Gee, thanks."

"Sorry!" I blinked up at the sky for about the millionth time. "Ok, what now? Besides escaping from Gassy, in the long run I mean. Pick up Kate when you're better, Trin?"

"Yeah. Then we have choices. Either we can accompany Mason and Bella to Sable's house—that's obviously where they'd go, right?—or we can go to every single Manhattan in the world and try to figure out what the heck the message means."

I nodded. "We should probably meet up with Kate. Not only is it weird to have so many of our flock missing, but I miss my little sister. And you know Mason and Bella won't stay in one spot for long anyway."

"Mhm." Trinity ran a hand through his blond locks and looked off across the roof. His eyes locked on the dark shape of a vulture circling in the distance. "And then we go to Beth's."

"To stop KIX from eating them out of house and home." I laughed. "I doubt even her Mom's couponing can keep up with his stomach."

"No force on this earth could keep up with the black hole that is KIX's stomach," Trin agreed.

Fang shook his head. "Please tell me he isn't like Gazzy. I don't think I could handle two of them."

"Well, he's not quite like Gazzy. He's more... He's like Nudge, talking wise, sort of. But he eats more than Gaz." I was trying to make him feel better.

He laughed and grabbed my hand with a sideways glance at Trin. "Great. Sounds like fun."

I nudged him with my shoulder. "Be nice. KIX is ok."

Fang shrugged. "I'll treat him like my own brother." Again that glance at Trin.

I fidgeted. "You'll like Beth and Sable too. They're awesome. Sable's like everybody's big sister--even if you're older than her, and Beth talks about just about everything."

He nodded.

Cue more fidgeting.

The corner of Fang's mouth turned upwards into a crooked smirk that made me blush slightly. I looked away and blinked at Trin. "Wait. I thought you were showing off your abs and all," I said.

He turned slightly pink along his delicate cheekbones. "It's too cold," he said, "but I'd give you a private display if you care so much." He winked.

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever."

Trinity suddenly fell silent. His mouth, which had been opened previously to speak, snapped shut and his lips pursed. "...What day is it?" He finally asked.

I shrugged. "How should I know? And don't you suggest going back inside to check, we don't know if Iggy is still on a rampage."

Trinity sighed. "I wish my phone actually had like, a date like it used to."

I snickered. "Dude, I remember that. That was so funny. KIX's _face—_" I covered my mouth to keep from grinning like a goofball.

"You know," Fang said casually, "I have a laptop. That I went on this morning. And it works fine."

We turned to look at him. "Well?"

"It's Tuesday."

"OK." Trin shrugged. I knew what he'd been asking for, and was sort of glad that he hadn't missed anything. "Hm. I wonder..." He suddenly pulled out his cell phone and after a few seconds he held it to his ear. "Sable, pick uuuuup... HEY!" He put her on speaker.

"Hey, Trin. What's up?"

"Could you do somethin' for me?"

"Of course."

"Go to the blog, and look for the date that the mysterious commenter commented. Check the chatroom logs to see if they said anything. And email me with the header 'Check Transmissions', 'kay?"

"Uh...sure, Trin." I could hear Sable's shrug in her voice. "That it?"

"Almost. One last thing... Contact Mason and Bella and tell them to meet us—" Trin paused.

"Just outside of Tuscan," Fang supplied.

"—just outside of Tuscan, in a week. Please and thank you!"

"Okey-doke, Trin. Hi Fang. And, I'm assuming, hi Ana!"

"Hi Sable."

"La-di-da... Commenter posted on Sunday, at four-thirty-six, my time... No chatroom so far, but I'll try looking through the past month's logs as well. I'll get back to you on that. And...Emailed." Sable's typing stopped and there was the clinking of ice in a glass. "I'll talk to Mason and Bella once I get off of this convo."

"You're a life-saver, Sabes," Trin said.

"Like she doesn't already know that." I rolled my eyes. "Tell whoever I say hi too."

"Will do. Dom's upstairs right now, sleeping in, but I'm sure he says hi as well." Sable paused and Trinity opened his mouth to say goodbye, but then Sable cleared her throat nervously. "Err... Something weird happened the other day," she said hesitantly.

"What?" Sable and weirdness? Big news! "What happened? Is everyone ok?"

Fang put his hand on my arm.

"Yeah, I think so. But this guy, Zach, cornered me in the laundry room. He says he works at Planned Parenthood and saw me standing out there—that's the PP that we're like, nearly positive is funded by NuTEX, you know?—and he started asking me about ITEX... I faked ignorance, but, still..."

Fang was calm, so annoying right now. "Are you a good actor?"

"I'm not in drama, but I think I do alright." Sable's voice was abnormally soft and solemn. "I just hope I'm good _enough._"

"Everybody hopes. Talk to you later Sable."

"Yeah. SSKP, guys."

She hung up.

I looked at Trin. "Do we know anyone named Zach?"

Trin's eyes were hard as he shook his head. "No. This really isn't good. If we haven't heard of him then we don't know how he acts..."

"And we don't know how much trouble Sable's in." I bit my lip and squeezed Fang's hand. "I just hope..."

"...that he never touches her." Trin completed my thought in a low growl.

"Right now she's fine." Fang rubbed my arm and shot a look at Trin. "Everything's fine now. We'll get there before anything else happens. Itex is slow, you know that."

"Unless they find something they want." I looked at the cement under my feet.

"They don't know that. Sable acts well. Come on guys." He looked at Trin. "Right?"

"Well... She did fool me completely when she said that Dom had eaten all of the Oreos and not Ana," Trinity mused half-heartedly.

"Gee, thanks for bringing that up!" I shoved him and he laughed. Our hearts weren't really into it, but we smiled.

--

The days passed and—finally—Trin was given a clean bill of health. Tryherte, Jeb, Dr. Martinez, and Ella offered to come with us to the meeting place in Tuscan (which we had narrowed down to a certain gas station outside the city) to meet with Bella and Mason. Jeb and Dr. Martinez drove with Fang, Max, Trin and I while Iggy, Gazzy, Angel and Nudge went with Ella and Tryherte. It allowed _so _much breathing room compared to before, but the tension in the air between Max and me was stifling.

I purposely leaned against Fang as I spoke to no one in particular. "I wonder what Tryherte is going to do now."

"I heard he was going to stay with Dr. Martinez and work with her and Jeb, and once they think he knows enough he'll come join us again," Trin said.

"That's right," Jeb said. "Or, at least that's what he's thinking about. He hasn't quite made up his mind yet."

I snuggled against Fang, and smirked to myself as I heard Max grind her teeth and felt her glaring into my back. "I hope he does that. I like it when he's with us, he's like..." I searched for the word. "He's like our big human brother."

Trin nodded and then blinked. He stiffened slightly, and I noticed his feathers and hair standing on end. I glanced behind him and saw Max trailing her fingers lightly against the back of his neck as she leaned against the back of his seat, looking at me coyly.

A blush crawled across Trin's face and he met Fang's eyes. Fang was impassive as ever. I felt myself tense up slightly, but quickly relaxed when Fang began to stroke my hair. "So....um....yeah." I looked up at Fang. "What time is it?"

Dr. Martinez answered. "Two-thirty...one."

I nodded, causing Fang to chuckle. "'Kay."

He continued playing with my hair. "You look like a little kid."

I blushed and ducked my head to hide it from Max, but she still bristled visibly. "You'll like Mason," I said suddenly. "Doesn't he seem like the Fang type, Trin?"

"A little more openly gentlemanly, though." Trin shrugged and then let out a soft, hissing exhale through his breath. I didn't look to see what Max had done. Finally, he seemed to recover. "Yeah, remember the gentleman game?" He sniggered.

"No, not really." I looked over at Trin and Fang paused in playing with my hair.

"What's it Trin?"

"Well, remember when you first got crazy about _Twilight_ and you were raving about how guys should be gentlemen to women and stuff like that, and then you were talking to Mason, and he was being all 'Southern Gentlemanly' and stuff?" Trinity looked at me like he expected me to remember.

"Uh..."

"And he'd say something you thought was cute and you'd give him points and tell him he was better than Edward, and then I'd pop in and say 'Yeah, but I'm better than Jasper'?"

"OH!"

Fang nodded, and squeezed my shoulders as he laughed. "Sounds like a Twilighter thing all right."

Just to get Max mad, I leaned up and kissed his jaw.

Let me just tell you. Max is scary as Hell when she gets mad. However, I'd been through Hell and back before, so I wasn't impressed. Although... I _was_ afraid she might lean over and grab me by the hair, but instead her fingers dug in to Trin's shoulders, just underneath the cup of his wings. He hissed again and arched his back, leaning heavily into her touch. I knew just how excited you could make a bird kid by touching underneath their wings, especially by doing exactly what Max had just done. The skin normally covered by the folded wings was extremely sensitive—as Max had just found out.

Trinity gritted his teeth and clenched his jaw. I couldn't tell if it was to keep himself in his seat or to keep himself from screaming for help.

I kept my face smooth and didn't react. I just looked at her straight on. "You do realize you don't have a room to yourself now, right? Major PDA." I shook my head.

Dr. M looked back just then and gave a discouraging frown. "Max..."

Max turned slightly pink. Inside, I was laughing evilly. Wanna hear? Mwahahahahahaha...

Trin ever so graciously extracted himself from his seat and unclipped his belt to slide over me and Fang to the seat across from us--as far from Max as possible.

Wanna hear even more evil laughter at the look on her face? MWHAHAHAH! Oh yeah. I'm the only one who can be successfully sexually manipulative here. BOOYAH!

I was about to make a smart remark when Fang shifted me ever so slightly away from Trin, just a tad bit more possessive than I liked. Ok, I don't like jerky or possessive at ALL. Not that I have a history or anything, but still. I shot a glare at him and jerked myself up. "SO. Trin. Max too much for you?" I was purposely ignoring Fang even though he was right there.

Trinity looked down at his hands and didn't answer. I looked up at the ceiling in exasperation. I mean, seriously. Work with me here, people!

"Little girl..." I elbowed him. I was NOT acting childish!

"Ok." I glanced over my shoulder to see Max looking ever so haughtily out the window. I started unbuckling my seat. "Fang, switch me seats before she goes wacko."

He blinked at me. "Uhh..." I glared at him and began climbing over him. Unfortunately, climbing over someone, in a car, when you're a girl, and he's a guy, is, like...Awkward. I was blushing already as I sat down in Fang's seat. I started blushing even more when I realized I was sitting right in between Fang and Trin. Can we say my good mood was long gone?

Fang and Trin exchanged looks, and I pressed myself back into the seat. _Oh geeze Louise. They look so much alike,_ I thought to myself nervously.

Fang slipped an arm around my shoulders, and I suddenly knew how Trin felt—only not as nearly as extreme. I wanted Fang to touch me--but I didn't because he was a possessive jerk. Crud.

Trin didn't respond like I did, though. He just looked down at his hands again with that lost look that he sometimes got. The look that had always tugged at my heartstrings and caused me to put my arms around him and stroke his hair while we sat outside under the stars. And now? I didn't do that, that was for sure.

"Trin?" I leaned towards him, unfortunately very aware of the arm on my shoulders. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah."

He didn't sound like it.

I looked up at the ceiling of the car, wondering what to say. I couldn't do what I knew would make him feel better cause Max and Fang were around. I couldn't _say_ what was wrong because Fang and Max were around. I couldn't ask Fang, which I normally probably would have, because Max was there. What could I do?

"Jeeeebbb!"

"Yes?" He turned around in his seat to look at us in surprise.

I looked at him desperately. "Help!" I demanded. Ok, maybe I was a _bit_ like a little girl.

He smiled, and I could suddenly see what a father figure he was. "Ok, what with?"

I shook Fang's arm off my shoulders. "Max is being mean just because she can, something's bothering Trin, and Fang is being a possessive jerk and it's all bugging me!"

The others kinda stared at me. "I'm blunt, OK?" I brushed them off.

I'm amazed Jeb managed to keep a straight, caring face. Dr. M was barely keeping from laughing herself. "Well, what do you want me to do?" He asked.

"First of all, we need to make Trin feel better. Then, we need to give Max an attitude adjustment. And Fang knows he better stop being a possessive jerk right now or else I'll kick his butt to the moon."

Jeb smiled. "Ok, it helps that you've got Fang taken care of." He looked over at Trin now, "Trin, what's bothering you? Speak up, it'll be alright. Ana's already blurted everything out."

Trinity blushed. "Among things that I've already got taken care of—" He glanced across at Fang "—Max is bugging me."

"So everything leads to Max?" We nodded. Jeb groaned and looked over at Max. "Max...what? I know you know better."

Max looked at him innocently enough. "What are you talking about?" She asked, just as innocently.

"I mean I raised you for a good time, and I know I taught you better than to torture innocents. What's bothering you?"

His daughter bristled and crossed her arms. "You know, _some_ people aren't so touchy-feelly and open about their issues."

"Well, you've obviously already been touchy-feelly." He gave her a meaningful look and she blushed. "Plus you're being cruel, so I suggest you open up."

She turned dark red. "Fine."

We waited eagerly.

She mumbled something that I didn't catch, but Jeb did. "I know I've taught you better than that," he said.

Max glared at him. "So what? Who cares what you taught me?"

"Max, we've been over this." He readjusted his glasses. "But, I do know I taught you how to be decent, which applies no matter what happens."

Max huffed. "Maybe bird-kid etiquette is different than human?" But she seemed to have deflated a bit.

"Not by that much." As Jeb spoke I caught myself peeking at Trinity. This was so his area of expertise.

Trin's lips twitched. "Etiquette's even more complex than general human manners," he said to Jeb. "All sorts of stuff. Like preening, for example." He reached over and plucked some fuzz from my hair.

I stuck my tongue out at him with a goofy grin. "And showing off, for example of course."

"Oh yeah. Probably one of the most important pinnacles of Avian-American Culture."

"You would know."

Jeb nodded sagely. "So, Max, you have no excuse, apparently."

Max grunted. "So what?"

"You know," I said slowly, "I think she's PMSing."

Just about everybody looked at me as if I'd grown a tail or something. "Ana!" Ok, NOW Dr. M burst out laughing, and all the guys looked like they were in shock. And did I mention Max looked about ready to kill me?"

"WHAT? I AM NOT!"

"Then what's your issue?" I demanded. "You started out nice enough, but now you're a total--total--UGH, I can't swear in front of Trin." I glared at him. "Goody-two-shoes."

"That can be a good thing you know." Fang had drawn my attention back to him, and his hand was now intertwined with mine. What the heck, how'd that happen? I was mad at him! I think. Dang it, he was dazzling... "Ana. _Ana._ Earth to Ana." He was waving his free hand in front of my face. "'Ello?"

"What was the good thing?" I asked dazedly.

"Being a goody two shoes." He gave me a look as if I was crazy. Maybe I am. "You set a good example."

"Oh yeah." I nodded. "Sure."

"Okaaaay." Fang looked at Jeb. "Ok, Max is PMSing, problem found. Thanks, you can go back to making googly eyes at Dr. Martinez now."

Max, Jeb, and Dr. M spluttered out protests of embarrassment.

I found myself squished between Fang and Trin again. Fang may have had my hand, but Trin was resting his head on my shoulder. Normally it wouldn't have meant anything, but now it felt like he was trying to get to Fang. I seethed. Great. Just greaaaat.

I suffered in relative silence for about twenty minutes--new record! Yay!--until, finally, we arrived. I saw a familiar flash of red and screamed in excitement, climbing over Trin and Max, accidentally kicking Max (Mwahaha!), to get out of the car as fast as I could.

"Kate!" I shouted, and totally glomped her.

She was bouncing so much she would have knocked us both down if we hadn't been hugging each other so hard. "I've missed you!"

"You scared me so bad!" I snapped. "You have no right getting caught like that, you idiot."

"Go easy on her, Ana," Trin said coolly.

"Yeah! It's not like I wanted to get caught!"

"Who cares?" I grumbled.

"I care!" She let go of me to put her hands on her hips and stamp her foot. "It's not like I wanna get in trouble for something I couldn't control—"I watched as her annoyance slowly changed to amazement. "Ana?"

"Yeah?"

"OME YOU HAVE A NAME!"

I blushed. "Yeah. Fang chose it."

"OME! FANG!"

"Please tell me she isn't Fax," Fang muttered to me over the top of Kate's flaming head.


	7. Chapter 6: Bella and Mason

**A/N: **_Apologies for excessive use of CAPITALS in this chapter. And tears._

_**Note:** We realize this is an extreme__AU, OOC, OC story. We get that. Just so you know, we know. Now...  
_

Wing It

* * *

**Chapter 6**

As soon as she'd pried Kate off of Fang, Bella scooped me into a huge hug. "It's been too long since we last saw each other!" Her voice was slightly muffled in the top of my head, but she seemed excited. I pulled away and looked her over. She was the same as before, except for a few added scars and bruises. Her mousy brown hair was tied back in a sloppy ponytail, and it looked like she'd been up late and flying far lately. Nevertheless, she was beaming at me.

I kept on arm around her as I turned to kiss Mason's cheek—he was like that awesome uncle you never get to see. His charming smile was identical to the last he'd given me, ages ago. "Getting into trouble, I see," he said. He winked at me.

I grinned. "Don't you know it!"

Kate began bouncing from beside Bella's elbow. "Come on! You have to tell me _everything _that happened!"

I caught myself catching both Fang and Trin's eyes. _Everything? Oh boy._ I smiled at her. "Sure thing, Kate. But let's get going first."

She bounced her way into the car, followed by Bella and Mason.

There was a change of seating arrangements, which caused Bella, Mason, Kate, Trin, Fang, Tryherte, Max and me to take Tryherte's van. I can't tell you where everyone else ended up, I was just glad Max was giving us all the politely-silent treatment: It was easier to talk to Mason and Bella and Kate without a black cloud above my head.

"So, spill the beans!" Kate shrieked.

I grinned. "Well. Nudge and Angel are Twilighters, and so is Max to some extent, and Jeb's pretty cool and Ella's nice and you'll love Iggy..."

"Is Gasman really that bad?"

Fang laughed. "You have no idea." She turned to him.

"How about you? What're you like? Who's that guy?"

"Fang's a ton different than the book," I said slowly, "but he's still good at the creeping up on you and giving you a heart attack and saying stuff without saying anything. And he's an amazing—" I change courses mid-sentence "—flier," I ended lamely.

Kate stared at me.

"OMG, were you about to say what I thought you were about to say?" She gasped. "But—but—Trin!"

"That's Tryherte," Trin said smoothly, and cut Kate off effectively. "He's a doctor we ran into and he's pretty cool."

Tryherte gave a small wave. "Hey."

Kate was like, _freaking_ _out_, her eyes wide and locked on us. "Yeah. Whatever. TRIN HOW ARE YOU COOL WITH THIS?"

Trin was silent, and Fang shifted uneasily beside me. "Um..." They exchanged glances. "Don't look at me, you're on your own," Fang muttered.

Trin remained unmoving in his petrified hush, thus Kate started hyperventilating. "So, Fang...And Max...aren't...ya know...and you two...? OMG! HOW? WHY? _AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"_

I coughed. "Kate... Shut up." I coughed again and gave her a meaningful look. She stared at me like I'd lost my mind, but at least she shut up. Of course, she huffed and stared out the window the rest of the way back, but still.

Fang was trying not to look at Trin's face, but failed--then he looked away and snickered into my shoulder. "Oh boy," he sighed cheerfully. "She's worse than Nudge."

I shook my head. "Tell me about it. But, I bet she's awesomer than Nudge." I projected my voice, but she still didn't look at me. Nudge pouted. I sighed. "Great. All well."

Fang shrugged and threw an arm around my shoulders like he didn't care about anything. It was nice. What made it even better was that Trin didn't say anything or seem to take notice, he was too busy looking at his phone. _Wait....isn't that a bad thing?_ I frowned, and Fang leaned over to whisper in my ear.

"What's wrong?"

I shook my head. "Trin, something new?" I asked.

I could feel his smirk. "Nothing new, but something funny. Look at Max."

So I did.

She was glaring at us, and she was gripping the seat so tightly her knuckles turned white. I could see the wheels turning in her head, but she was crammed between Mason and Bella and therefore couldn't do anything. She looked like one of those cartoons where the steam comes out of their ears--only, without the steam.

I snickered.

Since I couldn't do anything to get in any more trouble, I leaned against Fang and enjoyed the ride.

When we got back, Bella dragged me off to a corner. I knew something was wrong. "Are you—"

"Let me talk really quick," she said, cutting me off. I shut up, hearing the tone of her voice and seeing the flighty look in her eyes. "Something's wrong with Kate," she murmured. "Ever since she woke up, she's just been... It's like she's forcing herself to act cheerful. And I keep catching her staying up late—and one time, on the way here, we were stopping at a gas station to get food and Mason'd gone in and I was sort of dozing outside, this guy came up and pulled Kate off and they argued. I don't know what's going on. I just thought you should know."

Did I instantly start freaking out? Yes. Did I show it? No! Fang's not the only one with a poker face. I nodded calmly. "Thanks for telling me, Bella. We can all keep an eye on her now." I bit my lip. "How long are you staying with us?"

"As long as we can," Bella said. "We're...not...excited to split up again." Her eyes fell to the floor and her lip began to tremble. I hugged her immediately.

"It's OK," I whispered. "I'm so sorry." I felt tears in my own eyes, and pretty much every single memory that ever had anything to do with Cedric, Anthony, and Lisa went flying through my head. "They were my best friends too."

She nodded against my shoulder and I rubbed her back. After a minute Mason started calling for her so after another hug she went off with him and I rubbed my eyes before heading off to find Fang--I mean Trin. Fang. Trin. Oh no...

_Well, whoever I see first,_ I said to myself--and immediately bumped into Trin. And when I say bumped, I mean like, crashed face-into-chest, arms going underneath his, then crushing his ribs when I try not to fall. That kind of bumping into Trin. He caught me and set me against the wall so neither of us would fall over. And then, of course, he had to look down at me with his deep, amber eyes, and his brow furrowed. He stroked along my cheekbone with the back of his fingers. "It'll be OK," he murmured, as usual knowing what was wrong before I said anything.

I stopped and completely shut down. I couldn't think, couldn't breathe. Then I jumped away with a start. I didn't even realize I was crying until I spoke. _So much for my poker face... _"No it won't. It can't! It's just--" I shook my head and stepped around him, determined to hide until I had a better grip on myself.

Trinity didn't touch me, but his soft, deep voice made me freeze just as if he had slapped me.

"It'll be alright, Ana," he said. "It's not open for discussion. "It _will_ be alright."

I ran then. I didn't think, just ran. I found myself in yet another tree when I began thinking again, and thus crying again. What did he mean? Did he mean he was going to be with Max now? And I with Fang? How did I feel about that? What about Kate? What about everything?

I sniffled miserably and buried my face in the rough bark of the trunk behind me. The wind was cold, and the air was dry and dusty. Not really the most comfortable place to cry.

Yet again Fangs voice made me jump, but he pulled me into his arms as he spoke, so I didn't fall out of the tree as I buried m face in his shoulder instead. It took a while before I understood what he was saying. "It's okay Ana, it's OK. Shhhh..."

"Would you stop saying that?" I demanded tearfully.

"Sure." He rocked me for a while, not saying anything.

"OK, you can go back to talking," I mumbled into his neck.

He sighed. "I will _never_ understand you girls." I shivered and snuggled closer against him, away from the cold.

"I don't think I understand us either."

He ran his hands through my hair. "Want to talk about it?" He asked gently.

"Yes. No. I don't know. I don't even know what I want to talk about!"

"How about we just say you do? What's bothering you?"

"I don't know! Everything; you, Trin, Kate!" I wiped my face. "Cedric, Anthony, and Lisa were my best friends. They were like my _family_. And they're _dead._ And Kate's acting weird, says Bella, and Trin's—Trin's—I don't know what the heck is wrong with me and him! And then me and you! And then Max is..." I bit my lip again. "Cedric and Lisa were going to have a _baby_, Fang," I said desperately.

He rocked me for a minute, not saying anything and driving me insane. "I'm sorry." He began, brushing my hair behind my ears. "So sorry. I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused you...and everything."

"You didn't do anything!" I bawled. "It's all me!"

He hugged me tightly. "No, it's not. Not everything is your fault, Ana. I'm sorry I made everything worse for you and Trin, but to make it up to you I'll help you with whatever's wrong with Kate, OK? We'll ignore Max."

"Thanks," I managed to get out, and ducked my head to allow him to wipe my face with his sleeve.

He lifted my face to look at him. "It's the truth Ana. And you know it."

Something in his voice made me believe him. Something in his touch made me accept that I did. And something in his eyes made me say, "Is it also the truth that I love you?"

Fang's eyes hardened and he looked at me with such gravity that I knew I had just made the biggest, most awkward mistake of my life. "You can't know that yet, Ana," he said in a pained voice. "It's too early. You don't know just what you're saying—what about Trin? It makes more sense for you to _love_ him and be trying to get over him than to say you like me. Don't lie to yourself."

I looked at him, as hard as he was looking at me. "But I do love_ you_... And it's wrong. Especially since you don't feel the same way."

"I didn't say that!" He said with surprising volume. I flinched, and he sighed angrily. Nevertheless, his voice was gentler as he spoke again. "Ana... Do you know what love really is?"

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "Of course. It's what I'm feeling."

He looked at me for a few more moments, face impassive. "Come back to me when you can tell me exactly what love is, and I'll ask you to marry me. But _never_ say I don't feel the same as you." He squeezed my shoulder and stood, balancing expertly on the branch.

I stood up with him. "Heck, I don't know what love really is! When you live with Trin you know that sort of thing, I thought you'd realize that by now! Don't treat me like some little kid!"

"I'm not!" He looked at me with a mixture of disbelief and...Something else. Sadness, almost, but there was something...off about it. "Ana, just trust me. Forget this conversation if you want, it doesn't matter." He shrugged to himself and opened his wings. "I'll see you at dinner. And Trin wants to talk to you later."

"He'll just have to wait!" I shouted at Fang's back, but he didn't seem to hear me. "Trinity can wait," I said to myself, sitting back down on the branch. "He's waited God knows how long, he can wait five more years for all I care..."

I leaned back against the trunk of the tree, I was determined to stay there long past supper, but then I realized Fang knew where to find me. With a sigh I sat up and stretched my wings. Time for a fly.

As soon as I went shooting into the darkening sky, I knew I wasn't alone. Casting an eye about the pink cotton-candy wisps of clouds around me, I soon found who my companion was. "Hey, Mason," I said. "Why aren't you at dinner?"

"Why aren't you?" He countered smoothly, in that too-cool-for-you voice of his. I took the following pause to evaluate his appearance. I could tell that his red-streaked brown hair had recently been cropped short, and there was a half-healed bruise along his cheek bone that looked suspiciously like a back-handed slap.

"Guy and friendship trouble, mostly." I sighed. "Guy trouble relationship-wise, and friendship wise, everything's just messed..."

The young man sighed and let his right foot drag through a cloud, leaving a filmy vapor trail behind him. "Cedric told me to say goodbye to you for him," he said eventually.

"What happened?" I asked, feeling my throat begin closing up again.

Mason's face clouded. "Let's land," he said. I nodded, and followed him as he soared below the clouds and landed on a rocky outcropping in the woods. He waited for me to shake some of the condensation off my wings and rub my eyes, and then he sat down on the edge of the outcropping, legs dangling over the side. I sat down beside him but kept my knees pulled up to my chin. He sighed.

"We'd been captured again, but it was only because every single one of us stayed behind to protect Lisa and the baby. In the back of the van they shoved us in, Cedric and I woke up and he crawled over and said he just had a feeling that he'd never see you guys again. I was freaking out, because you know how right his gut feelings are." I nodded silently. "He said, 'Say goodbye to my favorite girl'—that's you, Ana—'for me, Mason.' They knocked us out just a second later.

"We woke up and Cedric was already dea--gone. They'd left him in the same room as us, and he wouldn't leave Lisa, he just shielded her with his body until... They electrocuted him to death." Mason buried his face in his hands. "We were too drugged to do anything when they dragged him out, but Lisa cried and cried and cried... I'll never forget the look on her face...

"And then they split us up for some tests, to make sure we hadn't changed too drastically since last time they caught us, you know. But when we got back, Lisa wasn't. Anthony was frantic, he pounded and scratched at the door until his hands bled, and he was screaming at the scientists—he just _knew..._"

I bit my knuckles, knowing how hard Lisa had once fought to save her big brother from getting terminated. The twins had a special connection, and just imagining what Anthony had gone through when Lisa had—when he knew what was happening to her, but was helpless to do anything... I sniffed.

"When he went silent and just stopped fighting, we could tell what had happened. They came in and the Flyboys didn't have to hold us down at all, we just begged someone to tell us what was going on. They wouldn't tell us anything, except that they were taking the body..." His voice shook. "When they tried to take Cedric, we fought, but they got him and dragged Anthony out unconscious as well.

"They brought him back and he was all bloodied up and he was missing teeth. But he was grinning like an idiot. He said to me, 'Mason, there's a spittin' image of Lisa but with Cedric's eyes, somewhere in this building. You've got next to no chance at rescuing her now, but you'll make it sometime. Just...'" He took a steadying breath, and I put a hand on his shoulder. It broke me to see an almost-father-figure breaking down like this... "'Just get her out safely, for me, for Lisa and Cedric...' And they came in just then and shot him."

"Oh my God," I whispered.

"They said he was 'dysfunctional'. They detected that something in him had shut off—the very moment that Lisa had died—and that that thing in him had been what they were studying. They had enough avian experiments that he was 'expendable' now that their interest had been lost. So they _shot_ him."

My knuckles creaked painfully, and I was losing feeling in my fingers; but I couldn't bring myself to let go. If I did, I'd probably break down... Again. But—

"We escaped right after that. Bella and I ransacked the place, but we couldn't find anything... We lit the place on fire once we got the other experiments out, and we knew it was safe because Lily wasn't in there."

"Lily?" I croaked.

"Cedric and Lisa's daughter." Mason shut his eyes against a flood of tears. "A scientist escaped with a bundle wrapped in a steel-wool blanket. The bundle was screaming like Hell. Who else could she have been?"

There was a pause. The breath I took was loud and rattling in the silence. "I can't imagine how—no I can. If that happened to Kate, and Dom, and KIX...or Trin..." Suddenly I felt ready to scream. Unbidden, nightmares of broken bodies and glassy eyes flooded my mind. I wished that I had tears left for these truly sob-worthy moments, and that I didn't waste them on just _guy_ trouble. _Why aren't I crying? _I shook my head furiously.

"So you'd understand if I told you that I had to find Lily," Mason said.

I nodded. "Where do you have to go? Do you know?"

"East," he replied. "But... I don't _want_ to go back there. You understand that, too."

"You don't have to leave right now, you know. Beth's east too, and we need to pick up KIX."

He smiled weakly. "I haven't seen that psycho for ages."

"You talking about Beth or KIX?"

"Either. Both." He laughed. "They're both crazy."

"If Beth hears you say that you aren't going to get any ice cream."

"I know. It won't get you any Oreos, either."

I blushed. "Shut up!"

He laughed, and I was glad for the lightened mood. I grabbed his hand and tugged. "Oh," I said suddenly. "Any idea what the true definition of love is?" He shrugged as he stood. "No idea. Just find something Disney."

I rolled my eyes. "Don't think he'll take that answer."

He shrugged again. "'He' who?"

I punched his shoulder. "No one. Come on, they'll be missing us."

And so we headed back and snuck into the now-empty kitchen to steal leftovers.

"Hey."

We jumped about a foot in the air. Okay, I jumped about a foot in the air; Mason just laughed at me.

He nodded at Trin. "Hey Trinity."

Trinity smiled lightly in reply, as if he didn't feel awkward around me at all. Lucky him. I blushed as he looked at me...and then eyed him carefully as his grin turned devilish. "Looking for _these_, Ana?"

"When did you GET those?" I demanded, lunging for the Oreos.

"You'd know if you hadn't skipped out on supper!" He held them _just_ out of my reach.

"_Give me the Oreos."_

"Dude, I'd give her the Oreos." Mason was leaning against the fridge, sandwich in hand, happily munching away.

Trin smirked. "Nah. I'm safe--OMG, Ana, watch the freaking ARM!"

"Warned you."

I sat on the counter, prize in hand. "He really should've known better by now," I said, although my voice was a bit muffled through the Oreos. Mason laughed and ruffled my hair and left. Leaving me alone with Trin. And my Oreos.

Trin was sizing me up, and I could tell that the Showdown of Ultimate Oreo Destiny was about to begin.

I chewed my Oreos slowly, watching him. The instant he tried to lunge for me, I was gone. I'd dodged to the side and whacked him over the head with a roll of paper towels, laughing like a maniac--or like Gazzy. Wait, that's right. Gazzy=maniac, sooo... Maniac works.

Poor Trin. He _tried_ to get my Oreos, but failed. Heck, he should know better by now. I swallowed as I dodged him again. "You're never going to win." I ducked under his arm--he was still trying to catch me. "Truce? It's hard to enjoy the Oreo's deliciousness with you trying to steal them."

"Truce? Never!"

"Suit yourself." I tripped him and took off down the hall--eating the cookies as fast as I could. I fell over the coffee table in the living room, and he jumped over the sofa. He had me cornered. I waved the empty Oreo package in his face.

"I offered a truce."

"I know you did. That's not why I'm here." His smile faltered. "I wanted to talk to you about something important..."

"Oreos aren't important? Since when?"

"Ana. This is _really_ important. More important than Oreos."

I perked up. "Did you figure out the clue?"

Something told me that that wasn't what he'd wanted to talk about. Nevertheless, he picked up that trail of thought. "Just a little bit more of it."

I got up and flopped onto the couch. "Then spill already."

Trinity sat down on the carpet beside the couch, pulling out a paper that he'd written all over. "'Angels and owls roost among the roofs and alleys of Manhattan's blessed poor in spirit. With clipped wings, the angels fall like lightning from the sky. Their hearts and feathers ignite, but they freeze in the pits of Hell' is the original comment. We figured out that the 'blessed' part is a reference to the Beatitudes, and somewhere called Manhattan is probably a good place to find my parents' old roosting place, if not where they actually are."

He glanced at the paper. "Sable managed to track the commenter to New York, so we know it's _that_ Manhattan. And now I think it's time to tell you something really important." I listened attentively, but must have looked ridiculous because he flipped me off and exhaled in frustration. "You don't have to look so eager," he muttered accusingly.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

He shook his head. "Anyway... After Dad got me out of ITEX, I woke up in a church. There was a priest there, Father Aleksey, and he essentially calmed, fed, civilized and raised me. I owe pretty much my entire life to him. It's where I met Sable as well—she was on vacation at the time, just a little girl, and she gave me her Gelato... And then I was recaptured and I met you and never went back. But now I realize that it fits the comment!"

I nodded along.

"Angels, owls, blessed poor in spirit... It all fits. Maybe I'm supposed to go back to the church there? Maybe I'm supposed to see Father Aleksey again—I always knew he knew my Dad, but I wasn't interested back then... I can't understand why I didn't see it sooner!"

I nodded along. "Maybe because the whole thing gives me a headache and even though you're smart you're not perfect?" I shrugged. "So, are we going to New York after we regroup or what?"

"I don't know. What do you think?"

I flipped my hair over my shoulder in typical I've-been-hanging-out-with-Nudge-too-much fashion. "I think we regroup then head out. It doesn't feel right to be separated—even if it is nice not to have KIX rambling nonstop."

"Yeah. And Beth's never-ending Oreo supply..."

"It's not my fault her dad likes them too!"

Trin grinned.

I huffed. "Oh, yeah. Don't tell me you're not looking forward to your ice cream."

"I _am_. But so what? Your point is?"

I fumed. "You know my point!"

"Really? Do I?" I knew he was just taunting me, with that amused, sly grin and seductive look...

I shook my head. "Yes! Now what did you really want to talk about?"

His smile was still there, but it was different. It was almost nervous, and he seemed to tense. He shoved the paper he'd brought out back into his pocket and lost his smile completely. I frowned. "Is it bad?"

"Maybe." The tone of his voice gave me no clues.

"Look, if it's about me and Fang—"

"What makes you think that?"

I gave him a long look.

"Right...well..."

The thing that happened next made me totally forget whatever witty reply I'd had. Trinity looked up at me and said, "I love you, Ana."

I was speechless.

"Oh, great... Ana...You know it's true and I—"

"Don't_ say _that."

I was so confused. _He decides to speak NOW? What the heck?_ I reverted to using Fang's argument. "Tell me that again when you really know what love is."

Trinity took it better than I did. He nodded calmly and stood. "For the sake of double-checking and trying to put it in a way you'll accept, I'll wait," he said. He put a warm, heavy hand on my hair and smiled sadly. "But I already know."

I stared at him as he walked away.

* * *

I woke up the next day just as confused as before. However, I was resigned to move on and focus on other things. Things like finding and stashing away cookies and clothes in the suitcase Dr. Martinez had gotten me. The reason: We were on the move again.

"Hey, Ana! Catch!" Angel tossed me a whole package of Oreos, giving me a knowing smile. I beamed. This was going to be an awesome road trip!

"Thanks, Ange!"

Nudge appeared in the doorway and hollered, "I CALL SHOTGUN!" and ran off to the next room to shout it again.

Everyone was in a rush. Clothes were being tossed from one person to the next, goodbyes were being said, and arguments about who rode where were already starting. After slamming my trunk shut I ran past Nudge. "NOT IF I GET IT FIRST!"

I passed Ella, who was literally on her knees, hugging Jeb's leg, getting dragged along the floor. "Pleeeeeease!" She moaned. "Let me goooo!"

He shook his head. "No. It's too dangerous."

"Please!"

"No, Ella."

"You're the meanest dad in the world!"

"I took second last year. This year I'm going for first!"

Iggy was standing beside them, looking like he was having a tough time deciding whether to argue with Jeb about Ella coming or burst out laughing. It looked like he was about to choose the second option. I dodged around him. _"Out of my way! Shotgun passenger coming through!"_ I bellowed.

Mason stepped out of a door just when I was going past it—and I slammed face-first right into the woodwork. I fell flat on my butt, and my suitcase went crashing into my head. No idea how that worked out, but it hurt! Mason blinked at me. "Watch where you're going."

"Yeah, OK!" I jumped up and grabbed my case. I held it in front of me like a shield as I hurried out the door and launched myself into the front seat of the van. I made sure to lock the door behind me, making faces at one angry Nudge stuck outside the van. Suddenly, she began backing away from the window. Her eyes were wide, she was shouting something that I couldn't make out, and she was pointing right...behind...me...

Max.

I smiled angelically at her. "Oh! Hey....Max....I'm....uh...Outta here!" I jumped out of that van like I'd been electrocuted or something. No _way_ was I riding all that way with her. "You can have it Nudge!"

"No, thank you!" Nudge protested, and ran after me.

"Nudge! Oh, come on, I'm not that bad!" Max was yelling after us, not that it made any difference. We ignored her anyway.

I slipped into the front seat again as Nudge opened the door. "Why, thank you, Nudge!" She pouted, but slid into the seat behind me. I turned around to look at her, crossing my arms over the back of my seat. "Why don't you want to ride with Max? I thought you guys were close?"

"Oh, we are," Nudge assured me. "It's just..." Her face clouded. "Lately, she's not been very nice to hang with. You're kind of making life hard for the rest of us who have to deal with Max."

I sighed. "Sorry. Don't know how I'd fix that though. It's kind of impossible."

That seemed to pique Nudge's curiosity. "What's wrong? Aren't you in love with Fang? That's simple, isn't it?"

"Uh, isn't that the problem?"

She shook her bushy head so fast I was afraid her neck might break. "But true love conquers all!" She exclaimed.

"What if I still like Trin too? And how does true love conquer Max's moodiness?"

"OMG. You still like Trin?"

"...Max's moodiness was meant to be the subject of that statement..."

"So what. I'm making Trin the subject. You still _like_ him? Like, _like_-like him?"

"Unfortunately, yes." I slammed my head against the head rest.

"Oh, Ana..." Nudge pouted, the picture of complete pity and sympathy. "That's terrible."

"Tel me about it." I muttered. "Not only is it terrible, it's impossible. I can't fix it, no matter what I do!"

I jumped when the door opened, but it was just Angel. She clambered in and shut the door behind her, then sat down primly next to Nudge. With a small, fragile-looking hand she swept back her blond locks and smiled at me winningly. "It's possible. You just have to make up your mind! Where there's a will, there's a way!" She said in her bell-like voice. Just like a perfect doll, a cheerleader, or something... Except she was almost believable. Almost.

"But I don't know how to make up my mind! How do I choose? I can't...Trin's...and Fang's... Oof." I hit the chair again.

"I could always make it up for you." Angel's voice was as sweet as ever, but it echoed in my mind and I suddenly had tunnel-vision, and felt disembodied. I freaked out and began hyperventilating.

"No thanks!" I gasped out.

She let go of my mind and unclasped her little sequined purse, pulling out cherry-flavored Chap Stick: A must for all bird-girls everywhere; and it looked like she'd been flying lately. "I don't really see your problem," she sighed. "Fang is meant for Max—whenever she gets her head out of her colon—and you're meant for Trin. It's in your genetics, and it's written in your hearts."

"...How poetic," I managed to mutter. _But I can't read heart-lingo._

"Then trust me!" She put the Chap Stick back in her purse. "Honestly, all of you think along the same lines. If you'd just stop and think for a minute instead of freaking out over nothing..." She continued muttering to herself for a little while and then Nudge joined in. I turned back around to stare out the windshield. I was getting advice from a second grader.

"My life is officially weird."

"You're just realizing that now?" A voice asked.

I very nearly put a hole in the roof from jumping so high. "Would you stop _doing_ that?" I demanded for what, the millionth time? I glared at Fang_ and_ Trin; they had spoken in unison.

"No, it's just official that _my_ life's weird, now," I muttered, I wasn't sure if they were answering my thoughts or not. But they didn't notice what I said anyway because they'd went right on with whatever they'd been saying before

"Personally, the first thing I want to do once I get to a playground is play knock-out with someone. I haven't played basketball for ages," Trin was explaining. "Ever played?"

Fang shook his head. "Soccer, yeah. Kick-the-can, I'm sick and tired of it. Beach-ball volleyball? Cha. But basketball? Nope."

"Fine. Next time we get to a court, I'll kick your butt."

"You're on, dude." They knocked fists like manly men and went on to talk stuff that manly men talk about.

I rolled my eyes.

I watched as Iggy and Jeb came out of the house--Ella still clutching Jeb's leg. Iggy slipped into the back beside Nudge and rolled the window down. "Ella, come on. I think he's going to need that leg. You'll have more luck with your Mom anyway."

"Good idea, Iggs!" Ella babbled something about how Jeb couldn't say no to Dr. Martinez and how Dr. Martinez wouldn't say no to Ella. Part of me wished she was right.

I pulled_ Twilight_ from my bag and ignored the squeals from the back seat as I began to read. _Twilight_--best way to deal with long car rides.

After what seemed like ages, a hand reached over and shut the book on my fingers. "What is it, Nudge?" I asked.

"Look out the window," she whispered.

I obliged and—HOLY SHOOT! Guess what I saw!

"OMG, it's...it's...it's _him!"_

I didn't know who 'his' name was, but he sure was hot. And by hot, I mean _smokin'_ hot. Purrrfection, hotness.

Kate leaned over to drool at him. "He's so...Wow."

"Back off, woman!" Nudge screeched. "He's my dream-boy!"

"Who says?" Kate shoved her out of the way. "Angel! What's his naaaaaaame?"

"David. And he thinks you're weird for staring."

Kate and Nudge sighed in unison, staring dreamingly out the rearview mirrors at the disappearing form of the kid named David. "I shall always remember thee," Nudge murmured under her breath.

"I remember when you were that age," Trin said teasingly from behind me. "You had a crush on Orlando Bloom..."

I blushed, and then let out an exclamation of pain as my eardrums ruptured as Nudge and Kate screamed in unison. "He's so flipping cute!" They said in unison.

"He's MINE!"

"MINE!"

For some reason that made me love them all the more.

* * *

**End A/N: **Please Review. Constructive Criticism welcome, ideas for what you want to see...anything.


	8. Chapter 7: Tentative Redemption

Wing It

**A/N:**_Here's chapter 7. Due to some complaints, of both our own and our readers, we're trying to make Max seem nicer. She does redeem herself in later chapters, but just thought we should start the process now. Poor Max, though._

_**Disclaimer:** Just if you didn't know already, we don't own _Twilight_, _Full Metal Alchemist, _or anything else except our own original characters. And yes... Teenage girls...and younger...do say OMG that much. They're that 2D and predictable. And yes... OME as well...  
_

**Chapter 7**

"Corn, corn, corn, beans, corn, corn, cow, cow, cow, cow, cow, cow, horse! Dog." Nothing much worth mentioning had happened along the way to Beth's. Nudge, Kate, and Angel had taken to staring out the window and blurting out whatever they saw.

"Deer, deer, deer…treeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees…."

"Squirrel."

"Fox. HOUSE!" They looked at Jeb expectantly put pouted when we went on by. "How much looooooonger?"

"Not too much longer," Jeb said.

"Another squirrel!" Nudge shouted.

"That's a chipmunk, not a squirrel."

"Nuh-uh. It's a squirrel."

"Chipmunk!"

"Squirrel!"

"PIT STOP!" I begged Jeb.

"House! House!"

Jeb shook his head, "We're almost there Ana, hold on."

Then it hit me. "Wait, how come you're coming?" I asked Jeb.

"We're going as far as your friend's house, and then we're going on our own way," Jeb explained. "Mason and Bella will drive us off to our destination, a place we can't tell you about just _quite_ yet, and then they'll drive back and be your drivers for the rest of your adventure." He smiled. "I came up with it as a compromise for Ella."

I grinned. "That's nice of you... Wait, what happened to running for first place this year?"

"My wife."

I laughed.

"SIGN!"

"That's the turn!" Trinity exclaimed. "Awesome! Just another hour, guys!"

We all groaned. Jeb shook his head. "No, it's not an hour. Five minutes, I think. Look for a sign that says Rock Branch."

"GOAT!"

We kept going, and then I swear that sign saved my life. "Rock Branch Church! Half a mile! YES!" We turned that corner and stopped at the first house we came to, a quarter of a mile down the road. Standing in the front yard-or doing cartwheels, depending on who you were looking at, were KIX, Beth, Em, Ri, and a few other kids I didn't know.

I cheered.

They started shouting and waving and as we got out of the car and came over. Unfortunately, the youngest girl—who looked about five—started getting Fang with a hose and laughing like mad.

"Ella, that's not Scott!"

"Huh?"

KIX scooped her up and stole the hose. "Sorry. We told her to get Scott."

"I pity Scott, whoever he is," Fang said.

"He's my brother." A blonde about our own age laughed. "Don't pity him, he's a dork. I'm Summer."

I was busy squealing and jumping in circles with Beth. "OME! Beth!"

"OME! Ana! Come on, we've got Oreos!"

"Have I told you I love you?" I ran after Beth

We jumped over the sleeping form of her Uncle in the living room floor and ran into the kitchen. She immediatley began rummaging in the kitchen island. "I know I hid them in here somewhere....aha!" She tossed two whole packages at me, along with a big old plastic bag. "Hide them with your stuff or they'll get eaten."

Trin ripped them from mid air and held them above my head, an evil grin on his face. She stuck a tongue out at Trin.

"I have more."

He pouted. "Fine." He handed me the Oreos. "Ice cream?" He questioned.

Beth dodged around him and went for the freezer. "In here."

He took the bin and took her hand, sweeping it up to his lips so he could bow and be all gentlemanly. I laughed at his ridiculousness.

She giggled. "Thank you, Sir Trinity." She spun around again and went for the fridge. "And I have milkshakes and lemonade for everyone else! And cookie dough! I have yet to make cookies!"

"Cookies!" Max zoomed in. "Did someone say cookies?"

"Beth, this is Maximum Ride. That guy that got hosed was Fang. And the guy that just zoomed to the bathroom was the Gasman."

Beth grinned. "Coolio—well, not the bathroom part..." She turned to the hall."There's air freshener in there!" She bellowed. "_Use it!"_

She spun back around and grabbed the cookie dough from the fridge. "And no, I don't have cookies yet. Want some dough instead?"

Max nodded eagerly, a friendly smile on her face. "Please and thanks!"

Beth reached around me for a big old wooden spoon which she handed to Max. "Enjoy!"

"Just save some for the baking of actual cookies," Fang teased, coming in. "Do you have a towel I could use?"

"Dude, yes." She gestured towards the back wall. All along it was everything you'd need for fun in the sun. Riding helmets, volleyballs, baseball bats, gardening gear, OFF, sun lotion, floaties, goggles, towels...

He blinked. "How come I didn't notice that?" He asked himself, grabbing the largest one to begin toweling off.

"I have no idea. Please tell me you noticed the pool? Otherwise I think you need glasses."

"Of course I noticed that," he scoffed. "How can I not, when Iggy just got shoved in?"

"Shoved? It looked like he dive-bombed it from the air," I corrected.

"Huh? You can't even dive in that thing...Oh, cannon ball."

I watched with interest as Kate and KIX followed Iggs' example. "Wonder how warm the water is?" I said aloud.

Beth shrugged before turning to Fang. "Ok. So there's a trampoline, there's four wheelers, there are bikes, there's a pool, there are trails in the woods and the neighbors have horses. We have a creek way, way out back--we have twenty acres you can explore. Just don't go fishing or hunting on other people's land without asking, and stay away from the car port, ok?"

He stared at her. "Twenty acres?" His jaw was on the floor.

She nodded. "That's what I said, isn't it? Twenty acres. Also, when Dad goes to bed everybody has to be quiet--he works thirds, and stay out of the garden unless you're working on it. Some of the plants are too small to be seen yet and we don't want you trampling them like somebody--KIX--already did to the beans."

I rolled my eyes. "I'll kill KIX for you if you haven't already," I said to Beth.

"No, Dad already dumped him in the pool. It was really funny, we'd just finished refilling it so it was WAY cold. Anyway," She pointed down the hall. "Ri's room can be the guys' room and Me and Em's room can be the girls'. The computer room and the living room are usually open too, but we have company in the form of my Uncle so I don't know how that's gonna work. We might make him stay up with the Grandparents, I dunno."

"Come on, Beth, let's go spread the arrangements," I said, and tugged her away to meet Nudge, Angel, and see Mason and Bella.

She followed after me. "Do you think I shoulda warned him about tornadoes?"

"Nah." I shook my head. "It would've floored him."

She giggled. "Good thing I didn't mention the three houses thing either, huh? Hey guys!" She ran ahead of me to the volleyball net--another bird kid hot spot. "Time to choose where you're sleepin'!"

Nudge smacked a ball down over the net, and Angel set it up instantly—an amazing feat, since Nudge had one powerful spike. Ella bumped the ball back over the net to Dr. Martinez. She caught the ball and everyone turned to Beth.

"Rooms." She sighed. "You interested?"

"OME, I wanna see what you have in your room! I've never been in a regular room except for Ella's. Do you have any _Twilight_ posters?"

"Yah!"

Nudge and Angel cheered and glomped Beth. "We'll be best friends!" Angel said in her beautiful voice.

Beth laughed. "I hope so, come on." In Beth's room the entire floor had been covered in various blankets, sleeping bags, pillows, and even air mattress. It was like we were walking on a giant bed. It looked even cooler because Beth and Em had the curtains on their loft beds drawn, with their lamps shining on underneath. Beth grinned as she opened the window. "You like?_ Twilight _posters over there." She pointed at their shared closet.

Angel and Nudge both sighed in contentment. "It's amazing," Nudge crooned.

"So do you want to stay in here then? 'Cause if you don't we can always situate you somewhere else."

"Of course we want to stay in here!" Angel exclaimed. "It's amazing!"

"Yay!" Beth was bouncing about as much as Kate had when we'd been reunited. Girls these days were so alike. Angel hugged her again. Beth just laughed and opened the door again. "OK, there are milk shakes in the fridge if you guys want them."

"Milk shakes!" The two girls ran out.

Beth turned to me and hugged me. "Yay! How're you?"

I groaned. "You wouldn't _believe_ the guy trouble I've had!"

"Uh, ya. I think I could. Try me."

I sat down. "Well, I'm in love with Fang and he won't accept that, but we're still together. And I still like-like Trin, but Max likes him but I'm not sure if that's just out of hatred of me or whatnot."

She thought for a minute. "Well, I don't know how exactly you told Fang you loved him but how you said it could be a problem, either that or he's been with Max too long or I dunno, something. And if you don't get Max I can't get Max so I'll keep an eye out for you, and like-liking Trin still is understandable. Not good, but understandable."

I nodded, sighing.

"...And you know all this already. All well, all I can't say really. Unless you want me to cheat for you, but I don't think that'd work so you're out of luck anyway." She shrugged again, and there was a thump as the cat attempted to get inside through the window but hit the screen instead.

"How come it always does that?" I asked.

She sighed. "Because it's psycho kitty. I dunno."

I grinned. "Everyone here's psycho." I ducked a playful smack.

"I'm not Psycho, Summer's Psycho. I'm Crazy, get it straight!"

I held my hands up. "Alright, alright. Everyone except you is psycho. You're just plain crazy. There, is that good?"

"No. Neely is Looney and Lisa is Psycho."

My smile faltered, but remained present. _This is a different Lisa._ _Not Anthony and them's Lisa._ Blah, people with common names... "Okay, _almost_ everyone here is psycho. You're just plain crazy, and there are other exceptions."

"Thank you." She gave a small bow. "Now, what do you wanna do?"

I paused.

"Oh. My. Gosh."_ I had it._ "Do you still have your _Twilight _DVD?"

What _can_ I say? I'm obsessed.

Beth grinned and shook her head. "Nope. Traded it with Lisa for the week--we got Edward Elric!"

"...Elric?"

"YAH! Isn't it awesome? Do you wanna watch it in here on Em's portable or do you wanna kick the boys off the TV in the living room?"

"TV, I guess...But who's Edward Elric?"

Her jaw just about hit the floor. "WHAT? You seriously--OME! Come on!" She grabbed my hand and pulled me behind the curtain under her loft bed, and grabbed her laptop from a shelf. "You are watching FMA _right now!_ No one should miss out on Ed's hotness! Even though he's mine and Roy is Sable's. You can have Armstrong."

"What?"

"YOUTUBE!"

And that's how I fell in love with Edward Elric and the Fullmetal Alchemist universe.

"Tha'ts such a nasty trick! What are you talking about? Ed is _mine!_"

Beth shook her head. "Nuh-uh. First come, first served."

"How come I get Armstrong? Couldn't I have Alphonse?"

She shrugged. "True. I just figured you'd want Armstrong."

I glared at her. "That's funny, so you keep your life."

She rolled her eyes. "Uh-huh. Well, somebody has to have him. He's lonely!"

"...Uh... Max can have him!"

We burst into a fit of giggles.

Beth stopped giggling after a while and looked out the window. "You know, we should be nice to her. Everybody, I mean. It can't be easy for her either--and something tells me that's what we're supposed to do."

I gave her a long, pondering glance. "You just think Sabes will give you The Look when you see her if we're not nice."

"Basically...Yep!"

I knew Sabes and her Look... I sighed reluctantly and nodded. "Fine. I shall introduce her to FMA too, and we shall watch 'Conquerors of Shambala' together, and she can have Alphonse. I will..." Trinity stuck his head in and opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off with a shriek. "I SHALL DRESS TRINITY AS EDWARD!"

Beth fell over laughing and I jumped over her and tackled a gaping Trinity. "NO! Not Edward Cullen!" He yelped.

I laughed maniacally. "Nope, not Edward Cullen!"

"Dad's got an old red coat in the closet!" Beth crooned.

"I need scissors, ASAP!"

Beth got up from the floor and grabbed my arm and tugged me along--thus, Trin was dragged along. "Same place! Come on!" We were dragged to her parents' bathroom, and while Beth was rummaging in their closet I grabbed a pair of scissors from beside the sink.

I laughed evilly again as I picked up the scissors. Trinity's eyes widened in fear as I brought them near his face. "Please be careful," he mumbled.

I nodded. "As long as you don't struggle," I promised. Of course, he began to struggle. I looked at him apologetically. "Sorry, but I warned you." I pushed him against the wall and held his legs down with my knees; his arms were pinned behind his back. "Don't worry; I'll only do your bangs."

Beth snickered as she brought out the coat and a box of fabric markers. "That's all you have to do!"

I grinned. "Now, close your eyes and hold your breath. After we're through with you, we'll tie you up and then we'll sit on you as Beth, Max and I watch 'Conquerors of Shambala'! Oh, I'm so evil."

Riley ran into the room. "Em said to give these to you!" He handed me a white pair of gloves before running away yelling for KIX. "KIX! Ana's beating up Trin! COME SEE! COME SEE!"

Beth shut the door and locked it.

"Ladeda..."

Trin cracked open an eye. "Mirror?" He asked fearfully.

"Hold on, I'm almost done!" I made a few ragged snips. "Now, do you have any gel, Beth?"

Beth rolled her eyes and opened up the cabinet beside us--it was overflowing with hair products. She opened up the doors under the sink and pointed at a pair of open, over flowing boxes. "Mom's a coupon freak."

I grinned and finished up. "There! Perfect! You can open your eyes now."

Trinity cracked one open. "Mirror?" He asked fearfully, yet again.

I shoved him in front of the mirror on the wall. "Ta-dah, I give you Ed!"

Beth's eyes widened. "Oh. My. Carlisle. It...He's..._Perfect._"

I nodded. "I know! Coat?" She held the coat up and I grinned at the design. "Nice. Now help me put it on him!" After much struggling we finally managed to force Trin into the coat. _"Now _he's perfect."

"Sabes would say that he wasn't perfect until he grew a ponytail and five more inches and looked like London!Earth!Ed," Beth mused.

I shrugged. "He's too short to be London!Ed. Maybe Al made him get a haircut for once? Or maybe Mustang did? He could have lost a bet or something...Mustang! That gives me an idea!"

Beth's eyes narrowed in thought. "Is it an insane, wicked, evil, totally merciless idea that involves Fang and Roy Mustang?"

"Booyah."

"I love it already!" She smirked.

"I know. Aren't I a genius? You stay here, I'll go get Fang. Sorry Trin, change of plans," I said, and left the bathroom. I went in search of our favorite guy in the world after Beth had locked the door behind me. "Fang! Where are you?"

Of course, yelling works too.

He appeared around the corner to the kitchen. "Yeeeees?"

"D'you know what I'm talking about when I say Roy Mustang looks dead sexy in a miniskirt?"

"Oh geeze. Do I wanna say yes?"

"We're dressing up Trin as Ed. You wanna say yes and help, right?"

"...What do I have to do?"

I grinned evilly.

"Just come on in. We're worried if we tell you out here Max will kill us." I knocked on the bathroom door and I heard Beth unlock it.

"Oh God." Fang grinned crookedly at Trin, who had been shoved onto the closed toilet so that Beth could watch him while she prepared Mustang's gloves. He caught sight of the gloves and his eye widened as he started backing up for the door. "Uh...you know those are Mustang's gloves, not Ed's, right?"

"Uh... You know that Ed--I mean Trin--is already wearing his gloves? So yes, you're right that I'm right that I know."

"Oh no." He tried the door. "GUYS! Save me!"

I yanked him away and locked it behind us. "You know, it's a lot easier if you don't fight so much." I pinned his back to the door and thought for a moment. "What can I offer you to make you cooperate?"

"Kiss him." Beth didn't even look up from the gloves.

Trinity was silent. For some reason that bothered me.

"Nah," Fang said arrogantly, but I had a feeling that he was saying it for Trin. "How about Mustang and Elric get to face off?"

"You're on." Beth got up, handed me the scissors, then disappeared into the closet to find something to be turned into a military uniform. I smiled evilly at Fang.

He sighed resignedly, set his jaw, and closed his eyes. "Alright. Let's do it. _But_ _no miniskirt._"

After lots of cutting, ow-ing, and ouch-ing, and getting the uniform put together, we had our Roy Mustang, Flame Alchemist. "He's...awesome!"

"Tote!"

"Yay. Am I hot?" Fang asked.

"Very punny."

"Ana means yes."

"Beth!"

"I'm gonna kill you," Fang said in his best Mustang impression. And when I say best, I mean the best I've ever heard in my life. Trin gritted his teeth.

"KILL EACH OTHER OUTSIDE!" Beth started shoving them out the now unlocked door. "Move it!"

Fang marched outside, and Trin stomped after. Everybody gathered around the two with big eyes.

"Why are they dressed like....THAT? Do they seriously have no taste in clothes despite all my training?" Nudge wasn't worried about the death glares at _all_....

"We're baptizing Nudge into the FMA universe right after this," I said to Beth.

She nodded. "Tote, again."

Nudge smiled brilliantly. "A new fandom? Yay!"

Fang squared off with Trin, moving his right hand up and down as if he were tossing a pebble, or getting ready to snap his fingers. "You ready to get your butt handed to you, Fullmetal?"

Trin twitched. "You wish, Mustang."

Max ran up to us. "Torturing the guys, cool! But what're you guys doing?"

"Dressing them as people from Fullmetal Alchemist, and before you ask you are watching the movie with us after this!" Beth bounced up and down. "Trin is Ed and Fang is Roy. You can have Armstrong."

She nodded. "Coolio."

I looked over at Fang and Trin. "Trin, clap your hands whenever you want to touch something to use it as a weapon or whatever. Fang, you know what to do. Let the showdown of Ultimate FMA Love begin!"

Trin looked at me as if I was from mars or something. "Why the heck would I clap? That's stupid!"

But Fang had already begun. With a loud snap of his fingers, he launched at Trin and my flock mate just barely managed to duck out of the way in time. With a clap of his hands a very annoyed Trin kicked out with his left leg--fangirl squee!--and caught "Roy" in the side. "Roy" went flying, but snapped his fingers and spread his wings (would this count as an X-Over, I wonder?) and plummeted straight at "Ed", whose cloak was flapping awesomely.

"Ed" clapped his hands at almost the last second then jumped up into the air over "Roy," causing Roy to have to swerve upward at the last second or turn into a pancake. We watched as they circled each other in the air, looking for an opening. "Ed" gave a cocky smile. "You are going down."

"It's opposite day." Fang swooped upwards, and Ed followed.

Ed cursed when Colonel dropped like a rock at him. Fang just smiled. "Having trouble, midget?"

"WHO YOU CALLING A MIDGET BEANPOLE?" Trin shouted. My eyes widened. He could not have known how perfect his Ed impression had been.

Trin growled and clapped his hands—his fist caught Fang in the solar plexus. Fang's wings crumpled as the breath whooshed out of his lungs, but he managed to grab onto Trin's arms and both of them hurtled towards the earth. They landed with a loud thud, but continued wrestling on the ground. Beth's little cousins, guided by KIX, came up to us, dragging the hose. Before either "Roy" or "Ed" realized they were there the wrestling pair was soaked. "We win!" The cousins and KIX cheered.

"No!" Fang was snapping his fingers like crazy. "I am useless in the wet!"

"But I'm not!" Trin jumped up with a loud clap, but then he turned to us sheepishly. "But I'm 'Fullmetal,' do I rust or something?"

I doubled over, laughing. "N-no," I gasped out. "Not quickly!"

He glared at me. "Whatever." He turned back to Fang--who was still snapping his fingers uselessly by the way--and proclaimed, "I win!"

Fang pouted, but swept Trin's legs out from under him—or, he tried to. Trin jumped and skidded in the now-muddy ground. "Unlike Mustang," Fang drawled, "I can fight without alchemy."

Trin shrugged. "I can still kick your butt anyway."

"Wanna bet?" Fang demanded. "It's on!"

Beth sighed as they began wrestling again. "This is never going to end, is it?"

"Probably not." I shrugged. "Oi, Fullmetal!" Trin looked up from where he was giving Fang a noogie. "Time to baptize Max into FMA. She can be Winry."

"Who's Winry?"

"Edward's love interest."

"And she hits him in the head with her wrench a lot."

"...Beth."

"What?"

"Now Trin won't want to let Max—

"I'll let her," Trin said. "Just to prove you wrong."

"Only if I get to carry that wrench," Max said.

"Cool! There should be a bunch of tools all over the place. Try the garage, in the house, the porch, the shed, any half finished project...Pick one!"

"I get to do her hair!" I really should be a stylist when I got older. I was having so much fun like this.

"Fine. To the house for the movie!"

I squealed loudly, and Trin winced. Max clamped her hands over her ears, and Angel rolled her eyes. Nudge squealed along with me, even though she didn't know what in the world we were talking about. "London!Ed is so hot!"

"Should I find an eye patch?" Fang asked.

"Do that." Beth shoved him towards the house. "Hey, Ana, wanna make Trin London!Ed instead?"

I screamed so loudly and so long that I nearly fainted. "OMG _yes!"_

"Yay! Nudge, wanna help with the new outfit?"

"OMG TOTALLY!" She froze, and took a deep breath. "I am now exiting Fangirl Mode and entering Fashionista."

We laughed and dragged Trin off; Fang followed, rubbing his hands together with relish. "This is going to be awesome," he said as we went into the bathroom again.

After various outfit changes later, we all finally gathered in the living room and put in the movie. Trin was London!Ed, Max was Shambala-Age Winry, Iggy was Havoc, Gazzy had been roped into being little Al, Angel was little Winry (I could tell she wanted to be that because Max was the older Winry. It was so cute how much Angel looked up to Max), Nudge was Rose, Kate was off with Bella and Mason and wasn't participating, Ella was just Ella, and Fang was still Mustang, but had found an eyepatch and was now Shambala-Mustang. Everyone stared at the TV in awe as it began.

I sat on Fang's knee, since there wasn't really any more room. I clapped my hands over my mouth to keep from squealing again. Fang sighed. "If you're so excited then you should have dressed yourself up as someone."

"SHH!"

"I mean, seriously. You should have been Hawkeye."

I pouted. "I don't wanna be Hawkeye."

"Who else would you be?"

I thought for a moment. "Me."

"Good answer."

* * *

A couple minutes after the movie was over found us still chattering excitedly about it. Beth's Mom pulled up in the drive way. She came in with a magazine, and as I saw the cover I remembered something. "Oh God." I nearly slapped myself. "Dresses. Dance. Someone shoot me."

"Mhm!" Beth ran up to her Mom. "Did you get the dresses? Do you think they'll fit? Are they in the van?"

Beth's mom did a double take. "Since when do you like dresses?"

"Since now!" Beth took off for the van, Angel and Nudge squealing and following behind her. Angel was dragging Max with them, and she looked at us with terror, mouthing _Save me!_

"Nothing we can do, Max," Trin called. "I don't want to get eaten for lunch by angry fashion-obsessed bird girls!"

I sighed with dread and stood, going to the bathroom to look in the mirror to see how I wanted to do my hair. Fang trailed after. "You'll look beautiful in whatever you wear," he said.

I glared at him. "That's part of the problem, stupid."

He shook his head. "I'll never understand girls. Do I have to wear a tux?"

"I dunno, ask Beth. I don't even really wanna go."

Fang's hand slipped under my chin, forcing me to look at him. I glowered. "How about I make it worthwhile?" He murmured.

I pulled away. "Good luck with that. I better see what dress they've picked out for me."

I left him to take a shower while I went to face my fears and see what the girls were going to have to _kill _me to get me into.

* * *

Max was leaning against the wall in the hallway, blocking Trin's way to the guys' room. He nodded at her, but only took two steps before pausing again. "Why aren't you with the others squealing over dresses? Even Ana gave in."

She shrugged. "They got me first and said I could ditch them while they finished picking their dresses."

"Oh." He stepped around her and went on into the room. She followed, and leaned against the wall while he began moving toys out of the way. He twitched and finally looked up. "Want something?"

She shrugged and sat on the wooden steps leading up to Riley's bunk-bed. "I need to talk."

Trinity sat down beside her. "Well then, let's talk."

Max leaned back against the steps and looked at the various planes and space ships decorating the ceiling. "I don't mean to be such a jerk. I just...can't really help it."

He nodded. "Go on."

She growled under her breath. "I don't get how Fang could go after her _willingly_. I know it's not her fault but...she stole him from me and he didn't even fight! I don't get why; she's not even a stupid red head." She sighed. "I know it's not fair to her and I want to be her friend, but how can I?"

Trin sighed as well. "I know how you feel. But you just have to suck it up and get over it and move on. You have to cut off that voice in your head that makes you feel that way, and _force_ yourself to smile and be nice. You have to feel some pain, some frustration--and it all pays off. Trust me."

"Easier said than done." She buried her face in her hands. "And besides that, even though I love him, maybe all of it's just kind of a big hint that it'll never work. Plus, to top all this confusion off, I think I'm starting to like someone else."

"Is this someone else like Fang?"

"Not _really._ I mean, sort of, but not really. He's more open, and he's happier, and he laughs more... But..."

"You know, I don't think Iggs feels the same way." Trinity smiled half-heartedly at Max's shaking shoulders, knowing the truth.

"That's good," she snorted, "considering I wasn't talking about him. That would be super weird, and Ella would kill me."

"I was trying to be humorous," Trin murmured, looking away.

"I'm not."

He sighed. "I'm sorry. Max, you're a great person. You're my friend, my sister now. But I don't like you that way. Fang does. You just need to remind him how much you like him...and you need to be steadfast. The running away thing, the confusion—that's why Fang gave up. He's tired of getting hurt, and that was what you were doing to him. I'm sure if you told him, he'd give you another chance."

"Haven't you seen how he looks at _her?_" Max demanded.

Trin flinched, but rolled his shoulders. "Yes, but it's our fault. They'll come back if we give them the time of day." He laughed darkly. "Not that we're very good at doing that."

"But—"

"Look." Trin gave her a hard glance. "I spoke to Fang, and he said that we have to fight for those we love. But we do have to _fight_ for it. Just _trust_ me for once, why won't SOMEONE?"

Max closed her eyes. "Trust is hard to give, but I'll try, ok?"

"That's all I ask." Trin ran a hand through his hair.

"Macaroni!" Gasman launched himself into the room. "Beth's Dad--Ron--he's making a TON. Come on!"

Trin cracked a smile and stood. "Come on, Max." He held out his hand for her and helped her up, and turned to the door. "Lead the way, Gasman."

As Trin let go of her hand, Max couldn't help but feel that the warmth of his touch had spread up her arm and remained there faster and longer than it should have.


	9. Chapter 8: Maximum

**A/N:**_ A peek into Max's brain._

**Max's POV**

The next morning, I was awoken by ice water and so were the others. Pillows went flying.

"Daaaad!"

Ron just laughed and ducked behind the door. "Get up. We're having B&G, and Mom already has the list ready."

I got up and flipped my hair out of my eyes, then scrubbed my face with my hands to wake myself up just a little more. Nudge yawned somewhere next to me, and when I looked over at her she was pouting and getting her jeans on. "Morning, Nudge," I said cheerfully.

She smiled slightly. "Morning, Max."

A bundle of blankets and stuffed animals and pillows closer to the wall moved and Angel appeared, rubbing her eyes. She yawned. "Morning..."

Emily and Bethany were climbing out of their loft beds, and Ana looked like she could sleep through anything.

Angel looked over at Ana and giggled. "Ana, wake up. Biscuits and gravy!"

Ana stretched her arms and rotated her wrists, popping them loudly. She sighed as she sat up. "I'm only doing this for the food," she grumbled, but she was smiling. Angel laughed again.

We all headed out to the smell of biscuits, but we were met with more than that. We were met with biscuits and gravy, and eggs and bacon in the process of being made, half finished pancake mix, cereal, and orange juice. Beth and Em groaned. "He went overboard again."

"Overboard?" Fang questioned. "This is hardly enough to feed just Gazzy."

Beth sighed. "If you say so. Grab a chair." She reached up into a cabinet and started passing out plates, and Ron gladly started passing out food.

I watched in awe as KIX inhaled his plate faster than Iggy and Gazzy's record times. Gazzy seemed amazed as well, with his little face completely devoid of any emotion but shock. I snickered.

Beth and Em's and them's Uncle appeared. "Mañana." He waved at us. "Hey, Ron, I'm going up to Mom and Dad's, it was nice seeing you." We waved as he left, and I laughed as the guys started having a contest of seeing who could eat the most.

Angel smacked Iggy on the head with a spoon, not looking up from her plate. "Manners," she said daintily. "You can eat fast, but keep it on your own plate." She picked a strand of—something food-ish—from her hair and put it in Iggy's.

He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, Ange."

Of course, the lesson was waste on the other guys. They were too busy eating to notice. We moved away after a while when we realized they weren't stopping anytime soon.

Angel finally smiled up at us. "What're we going to do today?"

Beth looked over at something tacked up on the fridge--"the list" I'm guessing--and groaned. "We're going to wash Lady."

"...Dog?" I questioned.

"Yeah, but she might have some pig thrown into the mix or something. Lady's no lady."

"Oi."

Ana paused. "How come it's just us girls doing this? Excluding KIX." Said flock mate had joined us, having finished stuffing his face before the other guys. "This is a man's job."

"Boys have to go help Gramps scoop manure. You wanna join 'em?"

"Uh, nuh-uh."

"Can I please wash the dog?" KIX begged. "I like Lady."

Beth looked at the boys in awe. "They're bottomless pits..."

Em shrugged. "Sure! If she likes you, you might be able to get the leash on her!"

KIX grinned with relief evident on his face. "Love you!" he said cheerfully. "Let's go find her."

"That part is easy!" Em rolled her eyes. "Just get the leash and follow me." Em took off out the back door and we all followed, KIX pausing to grab the leash on our way out. Em led us to the side of the house and crouched down beside an old truck--I could see Lady's tail. "Here, Lady, Lady, Lady!" Lady peeked out at us, gave us a look as if saying we were insane, and then crawled right back under the truck.

KIX got down on his hands and knees and peered under the truck. He 'woofed' in a low voice, but it wasn't like someone saying "Woof"; it was like he was actually talking dog-lingo. Lady replied similarly, and turned around to stick her nose out at KIX. He stared deep, deep into her eyes...and the leash clicked on.

The instant it did it was like Lady'd suddenly had second thoughts, and she disappeared again, taking KIX with her. Her rear appeared on the other side of the truck, and she was straining with every muscle in her body against that leash. KIX had partially disappeared under the truck too. "Lady! Come on! A bath isn't _that_ bad!"

Ana ducked around the other side of the truck and tried pushing Lady's butt. "Get back over there, Lady!" She groaned.

Beth and Em cracked up laughing, and Em raced into the house. I watched with interest as Ana and KIX tried with all their bird kid might and got nowhere, but fell flat on their faces as Emily brought out a box of dog treats and Lady was suddenly right at her feet, sitting down and behaving like a lady should.

KIX glared at the dog through his bangs as he stood up. "Fine then. I _won't_ play fetch with you," he grumbled.

Lady completely ignored him, and instead stepped right into the tub. Beth looked over at us. "Come hold her while Em gets the hose or she'll go nuts."

We came over and Angel hugged Lady around the neck. My baby's bright blue eyes fluttered shut, and then she sat up, smiling. "Good doggie," she said cheerily. "She'll try to stay calm."

I regarded her wryly. "Yeah right."

Lady gave me a big doggy grin, and she did hold still as the hose came in sight, but as soon as it was turned on she tried to bolt.

Angel put one hand on her hip and wagged a finger at Lady. "Bad Lady!"

Lady's tail went between her legs and she lay down in the tub and d didn't try to bolt while we shampoo-d her. Of course, she did whimper the whole time and look at us all with great big puppy dog eyes. And before we could even finish she was out of the tub and rolling in the mud, causing the whole process to start all over again...

When we _finally_ finished--cough, gave up, cough--Ana had streaks of mud on her cheeks, KIX's hair had been molded into a Joe-Hawk (think of the early Joe Jonas) by a soapy-water armed Angel, and only she had escaped un-dirtied.

The evil mutt gave a happy bark and disappeared around the corner of the house, I know I wasn't the only one who breathed a sigh of relief watching her go. "What's next?" Ana asked, blowing hair out of her face. Everyone cringed at the prospects.

Beth laughed. "Feed the animals, water the garden, clean the house, do the dishes and the laundry. But everyone's probably finished already thanks to devil-dog."

"So... We're done, then?" KIX asked.

"Mhm." Em nodded.

"Now what?" Angel asked, doing a pirouette. She paused, then dipped into a one-leg-out, tip-toe, bent-at-the-hips spin that made me proud beyond belief.

"Can we play hide-and-seek?" Nudge asked. She'd been half-asleep all morning, but she'd woken up after the water-fight... I mean dog-wash.

"One...two....three..." Angel shrieked giddily and ran off; KIX snatched Beth by the arm and dragged her off, and Em was counting.

I looked at Ana. She looked at me. "Follow me," she said, and took off at a run.

It was easy enough to run into the trees and duck down in the bushes, but that's not where Ana was heading. She ran around front. "No one will look here first," she explained. "When Em's out of hearing range, we run into the house and hide."

I nodded. "Makes sense."

"Mhm." We waited, and eventually we heard as Em called out and began to hunt. Ana smirked from where she was watching through a window. "Ha, told you she'd head the other way. We can head in...Now! Go!"

I ran inside and closed the door behind Ana. Ana ducked behind a chair and looked out the three windows on the back wall. When Em's back as turned she darted down the hall, and I followed her. Deb gave us a confused look from the kitchen. "What are you two up to?"

"Hiding from Em," Ana said. "Hide-and-Seek."

"Oh. Ok." She turned back to couponing. "Hey, do you girls like corn dogs?"

I shrugged. "I don't, but the others do," I said of my flock.

"I better use the double coupons then...Ok, thank you."

I followed Ana to a room. "So."

"Yup." She sat down on a bean bag chair.

I glanced around. "This the computer room?"

"Yup."

"You like saying 'yup'?"

"Yup."

I sighed. "No wonder you and Fang get along so well."

She shrugged. "He talks like a normal person, I think. It's just that he's so _good_ at doing the entire speaking-pages-in-one-word that he just finds it easier. Me? I'm just terribly awkward when I actually end up speaking, so I keep quiet. Generally."

I nodded. "I'll take your word for it, for when you're talking anyway. I know what you mean about when Fang speaks. But sometimes, don't you just wish he'd actually speak? It gets annoying sometimes, I swear."

She laughed. "I know, right? And sometimes you just can't read his mind but he thinks you can or something, remember going through the drive-thrus?"

"I know! That was so funny!"

We snickered for a while, but then we heard the others race through the house. A second later they were gone and we could speak again. "So...how long do you think this is going to last?" I sank onto a bean bag chair beside her. "It's not like I don't want to be your friend but...you know."

"The hiding or the grating at each other's nerves?" She looked at me with her dark blue eyes, and I suddenly felt like she knew how I felt about this. I was, after all, falling for _her_ version of Fang. And I hadn't exactly been the nicest, or most P.C. person in the van the other day... But at least she didn't hate me.

_Yet._

I looked away.

"The grating at each other's nerves." I fiddled with the loose threads of a blanket beside me. "What else? It needs to be sorted out, or everyone is going to hate each other even more."

"I really like you, Max. You're an awesome person. And I'm sorry I fell in love with Fang and he _seems_ to like me back, and I--I'm sorry I'm still crushing on Trin." She looked down, a blush blossoming across her cheeks.

The threads were extremely interesting now. "I know. I'm sorry I'm such a hateful hag." I make bluntness an art.

"Aren't we the queens of bluntness and stupidity and awkwardness and everything?" Ana laughed to herself. "You're not a hateful hag... You're just normal." She swept her bangs out of her face and smiled to herself. "We're both really bad at this love thing, aren't we?"

I sighed and nodded. "Yup..." I opened my mouth to speak again, but thought better.

"Go ahead, say it," Ana said quietly.

"Do you _love_ Fang?" I looked away quickly to hide my sudden fear. I bit my lip hard.

"That's just it," she muttered. "I think so... But he says I don't know the true meaning of love."

"That's harsh, even for Fang!"

"I know, right? But he just... I know he likes me a lot, and I mean... But..."

I sighed. "I know. I don't know about me and Trinity either. He doesn't want to give up on you yet, but...you two have moved on already, or are trying to anyway. And you're doing a lot better than us. He needs to accept it..." I trailed off, shaking my head and lost in my own thoughts. "The way Fang looks at you..."

Ana's shoulders tensed. I could just hear the cogs whirring in her brain. "If he doesn't want to give up," she said in an icy voice that sent chills down my spine, "then he can get his scrawny ass over here and tell me that to my face!" Her fingers dug into the bean-bag, knuckles turning white. "Why me?" She hissed. "Why me? I'm not pretty, I'm not _nice_, I'm so _stupid_ and awkward and mean and this is just so unfair! Why can't they all be circling around YOU, Ms. Maximum Ride, most famous bird-girl in history, who's so much cooler than me?" Ana looked up at me, no hatred in her eyes—only tears.

_Who's PMSing now?_ I thought to myself blithely. "Do you really think that I'm cooler than you?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Sabes tells me I've got a self-confidence issue, but I don't think so. I mean, really..."

"Hey." I reached over, and hugged her tight around her shoulders. I didn't hate her right now, or feel anything mean. No evil green monster. Just a really big mother hen feeling, which was weird, but I didn't fight it. At the moment. "You're cool. Sabes is right; you do have a self-confidence issue. If you think, even for a moment, that I'm better than you, then you do have an issue. Especially with the way I've been acting. Everybody's equal, Ana. You're cool."

She sighed. "Are ITEX people equal with us?" She asked.

"Don't tell me you're like Trin and like theological, psychological, philosophical debates to cheer you up or whatever!" I gave her a look. "And no, they're not."

Ana leaned against the wall. "If I was like Trin I'd say something like how they were once, and they could be again if they wanted to and it's the whole wanting thing that's an issue. It's greed. But I'm not Trin, so..." She bumped her head against the wall. "I'm just going to say guys are stupid and confusing and I can't handle this!"

I cheered. When she looked at me weirdly, I said, "We agree! I'm not alone!"

She smiled at me awkwardly, and then started laughing. "Uh-huh!" We burst into giggles, and that's probably what got us found. When we stopped laughing the guys were standing in the door way, identical dazed expressions on their faces.

Ana turned red, and I wished I could hide. Trin and Fang exchanged a glance. "Think we should run?" Fang questioned.

"It's the end of the world. Of course we should run—"

"Oh no you don't!" Ana leaped before they could move, closed the door in front of them and shoved them further into the room. "We're playing hide-and-seek. You're not allowed to leave, now that you've seen us."

Trin and Fang shrugged, and sat on the floor across from us. "Why're you so muddy?" Fang scrapped at some dried mud on Ana's shoe. Ana rolled her eyes. "Lady hates baths."

"Ah, the dog." Trin nodded understandingly. "Remember last time? The dirt wouldn't come out of my teeth for ages."

"It's your own fault, Beth warned you but you still tried to wash her by yourself."

He grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, well, she looked so cute and innocent..."

"You learned the hard way," Ana tisked. "You couldn't just believe Beth."

I scoffed. "No way is that dog cute and innocent."

"Hey, I know better now." Trin smiled dazzlingly. "That's why I don't get near her around bath time."

"No, you go to help scoop horse poop instead." I rolled my eyes, ignoring the fluttering in my stomach.

He kept smiling. "It's easier than washing her."

"It's ickier." I made a face. "You smell."

Fang shrugged. "Iggs and Gassy called the showers."

Ana moaned. "Nooo," she said dramatically.

I sighed. "Of course, the annoying little pyros..."

"Speaking of pyros," Trin mused to himself, "I wonder how Dom's doing..."

Ana's head dropped to her hands. "Oh no. Do you think Sable's house will still be standing?"

"Of course." Trin snorted. "Where else would he get Pringles twenty-four/seven?"

Fang laughed. "You all have your quirks, don't you? Chocolate chip cookies, Oreos, ice-cream, Pringles..."

Ana and Trin gave him twin grins.

I elbowed Fang. "We can't all enjoy roast desert rat as much as you."

Trin eyed me evilly. "Hey, I think I can," he said slowly.

My eyes widened.

"No you don't!" Ana snapped, beating me to it. "You guys can-_not _have a rat-eating show down."

Fang groaned and tugged on her shoe lace. "Pleeeease, Ana?"

Her jaw clenched, but I saw her twitch. "No, don't give in, Ana! Keep strong, keep strong!" I cried. Trin snickered. I could see she was about to give in, so I jumped up and opened the door. Within seconds the other were running towards us.

"We found 'em!"

_"Maaaaaax..."_

"I'm outta here..." I dodged around the others as Fang raced after me.

"Don't let her get away or we won't be able to have a rat eating contest!"

After much wrestling and one rat eating contest later, I managed to trudge away in search of other company. I found Angel and Nudge and smiled at them as they made room for me. "Hey, Max!" Nudge chirped.

"Hey Nudge." I gave her shoulders a squeeze. "I haven't really hung out with you girls in a while."

"I know, I've missed you!" Nudge gushed, as though she wasn't the one to have instigated the separation. I sat down, holding my silver tongue behind my teeth. I began braiding Angel's hair, since she'd been brushing it--just as if she'd known I'd come.

"Missed you too," I replied.

Nudge bit her lip and looked off to the side. "Soooo...are you cool now? Hot headed Max kinda scares me sometimes."

"Yeah, she scares me too." I looked in at myself in wonderment—but mostly impartial awe. I'd changed—for the better, now… But what had happened to me to push me away from my babies? Since when did I act that way?

"Since you messed up with Fang the first time," Angel said bluntly. It didn't hurt so much now, because she was right.

"Yea, I'm sorry about that." I paused in the middle of braiding, suddenly anxious. "But we're OK now, right?"

"_We_ are," Nudge and Angel said with eerily matching emphasis. "We love you, Max. Don't forget that."

I sighed and went back to Angel's hair, almost finished already. "Don't forget I love you guys too, OK?"

"We won't." Angel smiled up at me as I tied off her braid. "Just promise me something?"

I let the finished braid fall from my hands against her back. "What Angel?"

"Try your hardest to win Fang's heart back. Don't move on. Ana and Fang are cute together, but Ana and Trin are meant for each other. It's in their genetics, even, but more importantly it's in their hearts. And Fang... He's your _soul mate_, Max. Promise me you'll stick with Fang until you die, and don't, don't hang on to Trin. You'll only end up sad, and I don't want you sad!" She hugged me tightly.

Just goes to show how young my baby is. _It's not that easy._ I shut down my train of thought as I hugged her back. "I'll see what I can do."

She smiled sweetly, but even as her head tucked against my chest her voice rang into my mind, _That's not a promise, Max._ When I tried to reply, she wasn't paying attention. Discussion over--she knew she wouldn't get anywhere with me, and vice versa.

I needed to think. And I couldn't really do that with Angel around... I tapped on Nudge's shoulder. "I'm going for a fly, wanna come?" She shook her head. "No, I'm going to catch up on FMA."

I grinned. Even I could respect that. I mean, who wouldn't want to giggle over Ed?

"OK. See you later then." I waved over my shoulder as I closed the door behind me, but they weren't really paying attention. Just as well. I went to the front door, about ready to throw it open and take off--only I just about bumped heads with Beth. "Sorry, sorry!"

"Don't worry about it." I took off from the porch, feeling her eyes on my back. _Gosh. She's the psychic, are my thoughts safe here either?_ I went off as fast as I could, going a good distance before I started to really think. Alright, everybody wanted me to try harder with Fang, but my instincts disagreed. Who should I listen to? Usually instincts, but...

_Instincts get messed by hormones,_ The Voice remarked dryly. _They cloud your judgment._

_Voice, two words: Shut. Up._ I raced off again, as if I could leave The-Voice-Who-Wasn't-My-Dad behind. The Voice, for once, obeyed.

Unfortunately, my thoughts kicked up a notch. Ana and Trin, Ana and Trin...that got to me. Why did she get everything? It wasn't fair! And then again...her face...she didn't even know what to do! Whatever was happening, it wasn't going to be easy. Something had to change.

It was either her...or me.

I sighed. It was going to be me. It always seemed to turn out that way. I headed back to the house. _There's always the 'what ifs', but for the most part they don't call me Maximum for nothin'._

I landed and found Trin standing outside alone. He smiled pleasantly. "What's up, Max?"

"A lot of things, but not this bird kid at the moment."

"Well then, we're both down. How about we sit?"

I shrugged. "Sure." I sat cross legged on the grass, and of course once we were sitting down Lady had to investigate. She sniffed me all over, but finally went to go sit by Trin, probably because he was the one with the dog treats.

He smiled as he fed Lady, and then he smiled at me. "Still bothered about me?" he asked lightly.

"Maybe...who am I kidding? Yes."

His gaze was soft, and then it was hidden as Lady jumped on him for more treats. He finally settled her, but his eyes were focused on her head as he smoothed back her ears. "How're you and Ana?" He asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know. Okay, I guess."

"Better than before?"

"Definitely."

"That's good."

"Mhm." I fidgeted. "Any luck with the not giving up?"

He shrugged, his smile turning wry. "I haven't gotten up the courage to talk to Ana yet. Been hanging with Fang, talking to him about it."

I gawked. "You're talking to _Fang _about_ Ana_?"

"Well, yeah..." I could almost detect a hint of redness on his face. "Who else would I talk to? KIX?"

"Well, Iggy, or Mason when he got back... But Fang's _dating_ Ana!"

He shrugged. "Well, maybe if you talked to Ana about Fang you'd see what I mean. It's actually not all that weird."

"But—ugh! You _guys._" I rolled my eyes. "It's not that easy for girls."

"Why not?" He raised an eyebrow. "You _girls._ You just make it harder for yourselves."

"Well, I didn't say it was easier, I said it was harder. I didn't say it made sense either, it's just the way things are."

"Only because you make them that way."

"I repeat, I didn't say it made sense!"

He laughed. "I'll never understand you _girls."_

"You're going to talk like that forever now, aren't you?"

"What, about you _girls_?"

"Yes, about us _girls._"

He grinned to himself and let Lady kiss him. "Anyway."

"Anyway, it looks like you got a new lady friend." Trin looked at me, like, _You're weird._ "Yes, I am weird. I mean, if the whole Maximum Ride thing didn't clue you in..."

Lady whined and tried to get on Trin's lap again. He shoved her out of the way. "No, you're too big, go bug KIX." Of course she was oblivious and sat beside him with her tail wagging like mad, but still. Trin looked at me again. "You're weird because you think I like a dog, not because you're you."

I shrugged. "Well, _'the dog'_ sure likes you."

He sighed dramatically. "'Tis my punishment for being so likeable and kind and full of dog treats." He handed another treat to Lady.

"I swear her tail is gonna fly off if you give her any more of those."

"That's what I'm hoping. Then she won't have anything to hit me with." He made a face. Maybe it was the tail comment, maybe it was KIX coming around the side of the house with the hose, but she took off. I laughed.

"Guess she's paranoid about baths now."

"If I were her, I'd be too."

"It's her own fault for not behaving!" I laughed. And there was an odd look on both our faces. I sighed. "This is going to be hard, isn't it?"

"Yup."

"Harder than dancing, do you think?"

He laughed carelessly.

"We'll see."


	10. Chapter 9: KissCry, Dance, I Will Kill

Wing It

**A/N: **_Extreme apologies for swearing, steam, and horribleness of events in this uber long chappie._

_Due to the steam/swearing in here, I give you a_

**Warning: RATED HIGH T+++**

_I'd just like to say...this is extremely disturbing. But it's nowhere near as disturbing as what happens to Catholic martyrs in China, for example, which is where the inspiration for the latter part of the chapter came from (I originally wrote Sable's part after reading _The Secret Cardinal_). I had an idea that ITEX would be sort of trying to get the US to follow China's footsteps, so that it can perform more open experiments and achieve its [Insert Uber-Evil Goal here]. By going communist/socialist or whatever, by stomping out all religion, by creating 'soulless' soldiers, destroying all hope, happiness, freedom, chocolate... You know, evil stuff._

_Zachary is pretty much the poster child for ITEX. He's immoral, he's pretty much heartless, and he knows it. He's just plain messed up. Sometimes he does the right thing...when it pleases him...but most of the time, not so much. The "morality" that he teaches Luce is mostly correct...except that he puts no stock in it himself. Or he does, but then disregards it, and tells Luce that. For some reason. It's so weird, but that's this messed up guy for you._

_Luce, however, thinks that that's probably the best way to go (being moral, I mean). He knows Zach isn't the best person, but Zach's his friend--and technically, savior._

_And yes, I know that paragraph just introduced a bunch of weirdness and a new chari. Just read on._

_And...Sable...is weird. In a bad way._

_*Cough* Anyway._

_

* * *

_**Ana POV – Chapter 9 – The Dance**

I looked over at Angel, who was sitting on one of the loft beds with Nudge, trying to brush Nudge's wild hair. Angel beamed down at me. "You look fine, Ana," she said cheerfully. "Try looking in a mirror!"

I turned around to face said mirror, and I kind of forgot that I needed to breathe. The girl that was staring out at me had her hair pulled back messily, but somehow it looked beautiful. It cascaded down her shoulders, strands coming out to fall into her eyes. Her shoulders were bare, but the dress in back covered up her large wings so well that it was as if she were just a normal girl. The fabric was dark and flowing, shorter in the front than in the back, and in the front it angled across her legs so that her right leg was revealed just a sliver more than her left. She was wearing flats, not heels, but they looked good and fit well.

Her arms weren't the skinny twigs that most supermodels had, and she actually had a shape that wasn't just a thin rod. She looked…dare I say it…gorgeous.

"Yes, you do!" Angel squealed. "And I think Trinity will _finally_ admit that he likes you now! Oh, I'm such a genius."

"Yes, you are, Ange." I smiled at her shyly.

"Angel, we should be fashionistas when we get older!" Nudge gushed. "Oh Ana, you look so beautiful! Fang will love you!"

I sighed softly at their contradiction in names. "Well then, let's go catch up with them. Everyone else is already gone."

Angel shot up and slipped her delicate feet into her high heels. Nudge already had her shoes on. Together, we walked down the hall to meet Iggy, Gazzy and Kate. Mason was waiting on the porch, and when he saw us his eyes widened appreciatively. He whistled, his wings extending. "Wow, girls," he said. "You look all grown up."

Angel beamed and continued walking, appearing seventeen and not seven. Nudge followed, her hips swaying with every step. Their wings were completely hidden. "Hey boys!" Angel called, sounding a hell of a lot like Avril Lavigne.

Gazzy looked up and whistled like a hound dawg. "Is that my sister?" He said teasingly.

Angel giggled, her bangles jingling as she brushed her hair out of her face. "Come on, Iggs," she said and took the blind boy's arm. "Let's go to the car. You're my date." He laughed at her, and she smiled at him mischievously. "Humor me, brother."

"Come on, Gasman," Nudge said cheerfully. Together they skipped out. I walked out to the car with Beth, who was looking stunning in her own red dress. She smiled hesitantly, appearing just as shy as I was, and we got out into the car.

The drive to the dance wasn't silent at all. Between Iggy, Gazzy and Nudge's joking around, Beth's good natured teasing, and Angel's companionable chatter, there wasn't a dull moment. I wished, however, that it lasted once we got to the dance. Nudge and Gazzy took Iggy and disappeared into the crowded gym of swaying bodies. Angel and Beth stayed with me, plunging in to the dance with me in tow.

"There's Fang," Angel muttered in my ear. "I don't want him to see you first. Come on, where's Trin?"

"There he is," I shouted over the din. "He's with—"

"Max!" Angel's voice was almost betrayed. "No!"

Trinity and Max were practically entwined, dancing so closely that it was hard to tell where they became different bodies. It was a slow dance, but somehow they seemed to make it erotic and hot. Max had her arms so firmly locked around Trin's neck that it looked like she was strangling him. He, in turn, had his hands so tight on her hips it looked like he was crushing her to his body. They were hardly _dancing…_ In fact, as we watched, Max tilted her head up to his and their lips crashed together in a steamy, quite obviously _French_ kiss.

I felt like I was going to throw up. I hated the idea of French kissing on its own—but now it was just insanely…wrong. Trin and Max…

"Why don't they just go sleep together and get it over with?" I heard Nudge say in disgust from somewhere to my right. I felt my eyes beginning to water.

Angel's eyes were filled with fury. "I am going to _kill_ her… She calls _me_ disobedient…deceitful… The hypocrite!" She looked at me, practically crying herself. "You can go kiss Fang, I don't care anymore!" She ran off into the crowd, her long golden locks streaming behind her.

Beth sighed and looked torn. "She needs you more than I do," I said in the most earnest voice I could muster. She seemed dubious, but she and Nudge went to chase after Angel.

For a few moments I stood motionless, letting myself get buffeted by the sweaty teenage bodies around me. Then something clicked in my head and I began walking to the refreshment table. I picked up a cup of soda and swallowed it without tasting it.

Fang melted out of the shadows beside me. Wordlessly, I walked out into the empty parking lot. He followed.

"_And now, winding it down again for the ladies' choice…"_

Stupid DJ… I turned and looked up at Fang. He looked just as emotionally wrecked as I was.

"I could quote Shakespeare, or Edward Cullen. Who would you prefer? Both are equally depressing." He stepped closer, the dim orange light illuminating his gorgeous face.

I sighed and rested my face against his chest. "I'm already thoroughly depressed."

"I know, Ana…" His lean arms wrapped themselves loosely around my body, comforting in their warmth and strength. "You don't know how betrayed I feel… It feels like she ripped out my heart and stomped on it with her stilettos."

"Poetic." We were swaying to the slow, romantic song that was pouring out of the cafeteria doors, along with the good natured joking of the adults. We absently hid ourselves in the shadow of the red brick wall separating us from the rest of the student body. Students weren't supposed to leave the party unless they were leaving for the night; we were going to have to sneak back in. I absently wondered if Max and Trin would get in trouble for PDA, or purpling. Whichever slang you prefer. Either way, they probably wouldn't get in trouble. I doubt the adults even noticed.

My hands rested firmly on his chest. I could feel his faster-than-a-normal-human's heart fluttering under my right hand, and his air sacs inflate under my left. His left hand rested lightly on my waist, his right hand tangled in my hair, curled around my skull. We weren't pressed against each other so erotically like Trin and Max; we were just there, in each other's arms, seeking mutual comfort and love.

"Ana…" Fang hesitated, his lips beside my ear. "Ana, I love you."

I looked up at him, surprised. "What about all those confessions in the books? Were those real life scenes, or just…?"

"They were warped versions of the real things," he said quietly. "I never told her that I loved her. I don't think I do, romantically, anymore."

"What was that thing about 'tell me the true meaning of love'?"

"I'm still waiting for you. But Ana, _I _know it, so I can say it. And I want to say it, I want to scream it from the rooftops. I love you." His dark eyes met mine, completely and utterly serious. In his eyes I saw his soul: And I was afraid.

Every single, hypocritical talk on chastity and love that Trinity had _ever_ given—and he'd given many—bounced through my head. _Don't say love until you're ready for marriage_, he'd once said, _because especially now, your hormones are insane. They cloud your head, you're in a fog…love is not an emotion. It's not fuzzy and mushy and kissing and holding hands. Love is a sacrifice, a decision you make. It's called Agape, from the Greeks…_

_That can't be what Fang's looking for,_ I thought to myself and shoved Trin's voice away, the image of his earnest face looking across a sea of school kids to meet my eyes.

"Fang…" I didn't continue with words. Instead, I let him kiss me tenderly. It was just a gentle thing, nothing hot and heavy like _their_ kiss worthy of a Hollywood movie. Fang held me so loosely that it was just as effective as if he'd had me pressed against a wall; his lips against mine were firm, warm, and ever so soft.

I found myself crying, but I didn't know why and I couldn't stop them. Fang brushed away the tears with his lips, peppering my face with kisses. "Shhh… It's alright, Santana…" He leaned back into the wall, pulling us into even deeper shadows for privacy, and held me as I cried.

I recalled a story Trinity had once told me about a Catholic woman who had the weight of many 'mortal sins' on her shoulders. Receiving the Eucharist in such a state was a sacrilege—but she didn't know, and went up anyway. And she would cry and cry and cry, and wouldn't be able to stop. Why I remembered that at that moment, I didn't know. But the tears flooded out, quickly soaking Fang's shirt, and I couldn't stem their flow. When I finally just couldn't physically cry anymore, I looked up at Fang to see that he had tears in his eyes as well.

"Why are you crying?" he asked.

"It's just… I love you… But Trin's…and Max is…" I brushed the teardrops from my lashes and sniffed. "You were right; my heart feels like it was trampled."

His jaw clenched. "Ana, I want you to understand something," he said in a low voice. "I will do whatever will make you happy. I will _kill_ if it keeps you safe. You are my life now, I made that decision. But I can only love you if you let me. _Let go of Trinity Flyte._"

I sobbed raggedly and let him pull me back into his arms, clinging to his shirt. _I'm sorry, I'm sorry,_ I repeated over and over without speaking. _I'm so, so sorry…_

* * *

**3rd Person POV**

"_Max."_ Trinity pulled away abruptly, panting slightly, and wrestled his way out of Max's grip. He glared at her. "What the Hell was that?"

"I'd ask you the same thing," she retorted. "You were the one who kissed back."

"Who wouldn't?" He spat. "It's called a weakness, mine happens to be responding to beautiful girls kissing me. UGH that was so wrong, why the heck did you have to do that? What happened to trying to get Fang back? What happened to _everything_ we talked about?"

"It went out the window!" She glared at him. "The way Fang was staring at the door this entire time, the way he looked when the girls who walked in _weren't_ Ana—that pushed the last of my resolve down the drain. Why can't you see that it's hopeless? It's time to move on, and that's what I'm doin'!"

They glared at each other furiously for a few minutes. Finally, Trin gritted his teeth. "Maybe _you've_ moved on, maybe _you_ think it's hopeless, but _I'm_ still striving for it and _I_ still have hope. Couldn't you have just thought about me for once, and not about yourself? If you actually liked me and weren't doing this just to hurt them, you'd consider how _I_ feel!"

Max bit her tongue. Hard. She took a deep breath. "I thought I had. I guess I was wrong…" Her face crumpled, lost its furious mask. Trin's eyes softened as he saw the hurt and true anguish on Max's face. "I really thought you felt the same way. And when you started kissing back…"

"I'm sorry." He sighed sadly. "To say I didn't mean to would be a lie, but… It's partly the truth." He chewed his lip for a moment. "Thanks a lot, Max."

She winced.

"Do you know what a mortal sin is?"

She shook her head. "Something Catholic?"

He nodded. "Mortal sin is a grave sin, which is committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent. A sin stains the soul, and it takes you away from God. Sins aren't just actions, like having sex with someone who's not your wife, or before marriage. Sin can be of the mind, like viewing pornography, or thinking impure thoughts about someone." Trinity inhaled deeply and looked away from Max.

Max shook her head. "I don't believe this high-religion stuff."

"That's an argument for another time, but right now… You don't. So what? _I do."_

It took a moment for Max to wrestle with herself. She couldn't believe Trin was that concerned with a soul—a soul? You were a person, and that was that. She wasn't even sure if there was a God… So what if he committed a 'grave sin'? Why did she have to care about it at all, if she didn't believe it?

"Oh."

She suddenly realized how wrong she was, and how stupid that line of thought had been. That had been really, really inconsiderate of her… If she was going to stand up for true Avian-American ideals, be a real hero, she had to start tolerating and respecting people…religions…and relationships. The last bit, about relationships… That was really going to be tough to do, but she had to start somewhere: people and their beliefs. She could work at at the moment.

"I'm sorry. I didn't… I didn't think about that. I guess I really didn't think about you at all. You're right, that was selfish."

He blinked, and then a smile spread across his face. "Thanks, Max." This time when he said it, it held none of the bitterness that it had before. "I'm not angry at you, just so you know, but… Don't do that again, alright?"

She nodded quickly. "I promise."

"I'll hold you to it." He paused. "Max…"

"Mhm?"

"I don't want this to totally ruin our friendship. I meant what I said when I said you're my sister now. Just keep that in mind next time, alright?" He held out his hand.

She looked at it for a moment, and then hugged him tightly. "I'll try."

He sighed. "That's all I ever ask."

* * *

Trinity had gone to go take a breather, so Max strolled over to an empty corner and sat down in a folding chair. Her keen eyes swept the room, picking out the members of her flock: Gazzy, she saw—then she saw Angel, Nudge and Iggy huddled together as they danced, seemingly angry about something. She had no idea what it was, but felt her gut clench nervously. Angel had been increasingly more assertive and bossy as of late, and it worried Max.

Then, Max saw Kate.

She watched the flame-haired girl as she let herself be bumped and elbowed and pushed through the throng of dancers. The girl seemed depressed, with dark circles under her eyes, and makeup streaked across her freckled, pale skin. The blue ribbon that had been holding back her hair was coming loose, and finally she reached up and tugged it out. Max considered going up to her and asking what was wrong—and then she saw _him._

His baby blue eyes were narrowed in frustration, locked on Kate's pale frame. His light brown hair was hanging in his face, in an almost surfer-boy style. It looked good on him, too, and from the way he carried himself he seemed to know it. He wore a grey fabric hoodie, with a black t-shirt that had silver paint splatters across the chest. He wore skinny jeans.

He had grown since Max had last seen him, filling out in the shoulders and gaining a sort of haughty, tiger-like elegance and mystique. And apparently ITEX had fixed his little flaw, for he seemed to have no problem focusing on Kate in the throng of quickly moving dancers.

He asked Kate something, and she answered without looking up. His hands settled on her waist, pulling her closer than normal dancing strangers would. She looked up and Max could see her eyes widen. Kate said something and Omega smiled—smiled!—and nodded. Kate threw her arms around his neck and began talking rapidly; he answered her, and they continued chatting. Max stood, debating whether or not she should interrupt them.

Angel caught her gaze, furious for some reason, and sent a sharp thought into Max's mind, _Don't you dare. At least, not yet._

Max frowned, confused at her baby's mental tone; but she listened to Angel's command.

* * *

Omega leaned close to his dance partner. "Kate," he said firmly, "Cassandra's agreed to let you live if you come to our side. You could be queen of the world, with all the ribbons you wanted, with everything you could ever imagine. You could be _my_ queen."

"If I'm not _already,_ despite the fact that I'm not on your side, then you don't deserve me to be," she replied tartly. "Omega, love doesn't work that way."

"Yes it does!" He protested. "Everyone I've asked has told me that."

"No wonder," she said wryly. "You're probably asking all the wrong people. Omega… Come to my side. _I_ love _you_, even if you don't love me. Love is the choice to do the right thing for the other person; not only do I have feelings for you—" here she turned rather red "—but I also want the best for you. The best isn't with ITEX."

"You'd rather have me dead, than alive and with ITEX?" He asked, confused.

"I'm not dead."

"Yet!" He snapped, and pressed his lips roughly to hers. She stopped dancing, letting him kiss her; he leaned away after a few seconds of no reply. "What will I do with you?" His gaze was desperate. "Please, Kate. They'll make me kill you."

"Resist."

"It's not that easy!" He shouted angrily. "At least consider my offer, Kate!"

When she didn't reply, he glared at her and turned, disappearing into the crowd.

* * *

**Ana POV**

Max sat back down, wondering at the scene she had just witnessed. She hadn't been able to hear the two over the screaming of lyrics, but she knew that Omega had been angry at Kate—either Kate was a spy and didn't have the info he wanted, or he was trying to get recruits… She decided that she'd watch Kate more closely from then on.

Kate walked over to the refreshment table where Fang and I were standing, silent. She slipped under my's arm and sniffled.

"Let's go outside." I looked up at Fang, who nodded and let us go without further ado. The chaperones were to busy gossiping to notice us sneak out…again. Seriously, they need to pay more attention.

Once outside, I hugged Kate tightly. "What's wrong, sis?"

Kate looked up at me through misty eyes. "When Mason and Bella found me, I was already unconscious and half dead. But before that, when I was still running, someone was running with me—protecting me from whatever was chasing me. He was just as fast as I was, tall, thin, and just beautiful. And he had the prettiest blue eyes—we hid in an alley and he stood over me to hide me from the only Flyboy that was there. And then we started talking while we waited for it to be safe… Ana, that was Omega. He saved my life. And I love him, but he's still confused and his superiors aren't helping. I want him on our side!"

"Oh baby doll," I sighed.

"I'm not going to talk to him again if he appears, unless he's on our side," Kate said quietly. "But Ana, I want you to know that I'm not a spy. I won't have him unless he's good, because I can't change him. Only he can change himself… I can plant the seed, but I can't make it grow on rocky soil."

"Bible quotations?"

Kate blushed. "Very roughly. But Ana, seriously…"

"I'll help you if I ever see Omega again, and he's not trying to kill me. If he is, I'll beat the crap out of him, tie him up, and hold him above the shark pit until he changes his mind. How's that sound?"

She smiled, shoulders shaking with suppressed giggles. I smiled in reply and held her: If Max was a 'Mom', I was the _awesomest biggest sister in the world._ Not even sister. I was the awesomest _best friend _in the world.

I only hoped for Kate's sake that that was enough.

* * *

Trinity was waiting for me when we got back to Beth's. He was standing just inside the door to the girl's bedroom, leaning against the wall. I closed the door behind me, trying to hide my anxiety.

"Wanna fly?"

"Eh…Sure? Can I change?"

"Quickly." He turned his eyes away while I hurried to change. I knew he wouldn't peek. He was much too decent for that. Well…at one time he'd been too decent to _French,_ either… I felt my cheeks begin to heat as I tugged on my jeans. I slipped back into my sneakers and looked over at him, keeping my wings pressed tight against my back; unconsciously, I was ready to fight.

"You look wound up," he remarked.

_You look like you got a black eye on your mouth_, I thought to myself. His lips were bruised.

Trinity held my gaze for a moment, then turned and took off out the window. I followed, catching up quickly. We were so high, that we could see for miles and miles. We were so high, that I was breathing freely. This was the Trinity I knew, with his lithe body and his willingness to be where I was comfortable, even if he himself wasn't. His graceful wings brushed over the top of mine on my down stroke, and I looked up at him. "What do you want to talk about?" I asked.

"Something's bothering you," he said.

"Yeah."

"Would you tell me, woman?" His dark blue eyes pierced straight into my soul, and I was entranced…but I wasn't going to tell him. He noticed my hesitation, and flipped over in mid-air to tangle his hands in mine. His wings pulled in around his body, and I began to dip to one side—as I was pulled underneath him, he extended his wings to keep us aloft; I pulled my own wings in. Then he was on the bottom again and it was my turn to keep my wings open. This was our routine. It was peaceful, and it helped us to be emotionally _together_ without having to talk. In this intimate moment, I could feel every muscle in his body pressed lightly against mine; I could feel his heart—faster than Fang's—beating like a trapped bird's wings; I could taste his breath in my mouth.

At one time, I had _always _been the one to instigate this routine. You could say that it was my way of kissing him without actually slipping into that line of thought. It was probably the most intimate thing a bird kid could do without actually sleeping with the other; bodies tangled together, relying totally on the other's trustworthiness and strength; and the best thing about it was that it didn't have to be something sexual. I liked that.

But now, when Trinity seemed to be slipping through my fingers even as a friend? I couldn't bring myself to enjoy it. At least I wasn't crying again.

"Tell me," he whispered huskily.

I met his eyes, now on the bottom. "You and Max," I said quietly.

His expression changed. How, I wasn't sure, but suddenly his expressional eyes were shielded. "I'm sorry you saw that," he said gently; now I was on the top.

"I thought you were against kissing like that." My voice held none of my inner pain. Emotionless. Dull. Maybe that was the best way.

"I am."

"Then _why?"_

He was on top now, and he adjusted his hold on me so that he wasn't gripping my hands; he now held me around my waist, pressing my body close to him—still nothing heated. Good. "Because _she_ kissed _me._"

"You looked like you were enjoying it, Trin."

"Guilty pleasure," he said flatly. "I have to go find a church now and find a priest who'll hear my Confession. And since they don't have any for miles and miles, it'll take a while. Blah. But that's beside the point. She kissed me, I kissed back, and she took it up to a whole new level. A level I'm not at yet; I made that clear after she let me go."

"You're together, though?" I tried not to concentrate on the ache I was feeling. Instead I tried to think about the churches in the area. Beth and her family attended a church just down the road from their house, but at the moment they didn't have a preacher. Other churches simply were locked and no one was there by this hour of the night.

"I guess so... But I don't know." He looked away as I came on top, and I focused on him instead of my erratic thoughts. Instead of extending my wings this time, though, I pulled them in behind me. We began falling. We were freee, freeeee faaaaallin'…

Sorry.

Tangled together as we were, we began to spin. Arching through the sky like a shooting star. I couldn't help but laugh as Trinity began singing "Free Falling".

"I was just thinking that!" I shouted. Trinity laughed and pulled me tighter. I couldn't help but wrap my arms around his body and hug him warmly. "I miss this," I said quietly. He didn't respond aloud, but I knew he'd heard me; his face pressed into my hair and his legs tangled in mine, trying to comfort me with body language, which was sometimes louder than words.

It occurred to me that Trin didn't know that I was actually _with-_with Fang. He knew that Fang was a bit more forward with me than was proper for 'just friends', but he didn't know that we'd actually kissed since the hospital. Unless Max told him. But I had a feeling that she wouldn't tell him. What if he'd seen us? Oh God, what if he had...?

I tightened my hold on Trinity, suddenly feeling tears rising in my throat, feeling something pull out of me and leave a gaping hole of nothingness in my chest. Trinity stroked my hair, angling us so that he was on his back and we weren't spinning. As we neared the ground, he extended first his right wing to bring him on top, then his left to catch us.

We landed on a roof, unseen in the shadows. Somehow we'd flown all the way to the village. A 10 minute drive, it wasn't that long by wings. Trinity helped me into a long jacket that hid my wings, and I helped him pull his wings out of the slits in his shirt, so that they were pressed right up against the skin of his back. My fingers accidentally strayed across the skin in-between his wings; he shuddered, feathers standing on end, and his eyes met mine with some foreign, dominate emotion in them. I ripped my eyes away and took a step back. Then he threw on his own knee-length jacket, and we began climbing down the nearby trees in silence. Trees and fields were everywhere.

We came out of the tiny alley and began walking down the street, hands shoved in our pockets. We passed both dark windows and lit; the lights cast their warm lights down on us and cast sharp shadows on Trinity's beautiful face.

"Ana…" We stopped walking as we came around a dark corner, I could see the light from the Key Market if I looked between the houses. Trinity looked down at the ground, scuffing his shoes against the cement. I waited for him to speak again, patient, knowing that he'd tell me when he was ready.

He had just opened his mouth to speak when a group of guys came around the far corner. They walked down towards us, staggering--obviously drunk--and seemingly not noticing us until one of them said, "Hey, dudes, looks like we've got a break up!"

"Think she needs a shoulder to cry on, mate?"

"Aww, come here, babe!"

I rolled my eyes and looked at Trinity skeptically. "Wonderful timing."

His eyes were stormy, locked on the gangsters. "Get behind me," he muttered. I followed his command, knowing that sometimes he could handle things better than I could. "Guys," he called, "you really don't wanna do that."

"Why not?" One of them asked. "We just wanna make sure the little lady doesn't get her feelings hurt. Shoulder to cry on, someone to hold her—or five people, who knows?"

"Dude, she's got me." Trin's voice was level and sounded like any normal teenager's; which clued me in on how angry he really was. "You really don't wanna take another step closer, man."

"Hear that?" Another of the gangstas chortled. "He thinks he can boss us around."

Trin's lips twitched; he'd never even insinuated that. The tallest gangsta took a step forward.

"What'chu gonna do about it, kid?"

Trinity didn't answer. For a moment he stared the man down; and then the man laughed. "Come on, guys. Let's go back to the Center."

"T'ch, no way, mate!" Another called. "Come on, baby, come home with me!"

"Why don't you have a little drink, babes?"

"We've got plenty of partying to do, sweetie!"

I rolled my eyes disgustedly. "No thanks," I said firmly. "I don't drink, or party, as a rule."

"I bet your guy's the one who made that rule," one snapped. "Man, I hate how some men treat their women." Behind him I could see a house light come on, and in another window I could see a toddler stare at us with wide eyes before turning around to disappear further into the house. The village was taking notice of the commotion, so this couldn't bode well.

"Dude, shut up," I said. "I'm just not interested. Come on, Trin, let's go." I tugged on his arm and he turned to follow—and then ducked and shoved me to the ground. The gangster who'd just tried to literally stab Trin in the back tripped and went rolling into the street. It seemed to trigger a chain reaction, sending the other gangbangers into a frenzy of sorts. Trinity was quickly pulled away from me, but he stayed close enough that he could fend off the ones I couldn't take care of. I was glad of that: I was used to fighting multiple attackers, but sometimes you needed someone to watch your back.

The guy in front of me dropped flat from a single well-aimed punch from me, and I snapped around to round-house the guy behind me in the neck. He went out like a light, still alive, but unconscious. Someone caught my arm and dragged me into an alley, and I fought like Hell—but a warm, smooth hand was pressed against my mouth, so I couldn't make a sound.

"Hey, watch it lady, I'm trying to help you!" It was the guy who Trin had stared down. I stopped trying to kill him, but pulled away from his hand. He smiled, his white teeth flashing in his dark face. "I'm Ramón."

"Yo."

"Sorry about the guys, they're all drunk."

"Don't get drunk." I peered out of the alley to see Trinity still fighting; he was doing a great job by himself, and when he saw me in safety he seemed to relax just a tiny bit, snapping around to hit someone with more whip-like ease than before. I just hoped that none of them had a gun.

"Are they armed?" I asked Ramón.

"Two of them had knives, but you knocked 'em out. I'm the only one with a gun."

"Good. Then I'm not so worried about Trin—HOLY COW, BEHIND YOU!" I screamed.

Trin spun around; his jacket had been ripped off of him, and the entire back of his shirt was torn open. No one had seen his wings yet, due to the fact that they blended into his skin so well in the darkness; but as he turned, he extended them just enough to keep his balance. Falling to the ground, he swung out a leg and swept his attacker's feet out from underneath him.

"OTHER BEHIND YOU!"

He shot up, throwing his wings open and letting out a feral snarl, grabbing the attacker's fist and twisting it. He looked like an angel—much like how Fang had saved Max by pretending to be an angel of death, Trinity seemed to be one of the Heavenly Host with his light hair and fair wings. And boy, was he _furious._

The remaining gangsters froze in place, jaws dropping open. "Oh my God," one of them whimpered, "it's her Guardian Angel!"

"No, it's Michael!"

"Oh my God!"

"You will _never_ harm one of the Daughters of God ever again," Trinity whispered, his voice rough and furious, "and if you do, you are going to Hell!"

"I'm going to Confession right now!" One of them shouted, and ran away without a backwards glance. Others followed with "Me too!" on their lips.

Trinity stood in the middle of the sidewalk, body trembling. His wings were shaking as well, muscles clenched so tightly that it looked like he was made out of wood. I ran over to him, picking my way over the moaning—or silent—bodies on the ground, and threw my arms around him. "Trinity, calm down," I whispered in his ear. There was a strange grating sound in his throat, and I tightened my hold on him. "Get control of yourself. You are Trinity Flyte, my best friend. You're _human._ I'm fine, Trin… Just snap out of it. You're not a falcon. You're not a bird. You're human."

"I _know,_ Ana!" He snapped.

"Thank God." I buried my face in his chest. He wrapped his arms and wings around me. "You really opened a can of whoop-ass on them."

"I'm sorry. Memories taking control…instincts… You know."

"No, I don't."

"I'm sorry." He didn't pay to elaborate.

Ramón stepped out of the alley and smiled at us. "Thank God I taught them something about angels, huh?" He laughed.

"Yeah." Trin looked over at him, but didn't let me go. "Thanks for getting her out of the fray."

"No prob. Hey, I'm Ramón. I'm one of the people in charge over at the Catholic Homeless Shelter. I should have known better than to accept requests for a speaker, these guys just aren't up to making appearances at school rallies."

"You can say that again." There was a girl standing not so far off, and her eyes were wide as she took in Trin's wings, but she kept her voice calm. "My name is Kate. And I'm going to make sure the school does a better job of choosing speakers in the future. Just because parents were requesting it doesn't mean they should just choose anyone." She shook her head. A boy stood beside her, and he spoke now.

"Look, the sheriffs are probably being overwhelmed with calls right now and look around you. Everyone knows. What were you thinking?" Sure enough, every light was on, and some doors were beginning to open. Trin quickly began to hide his wings. "The Center is going to be in big trouble after this." He eyed Ramón warily, and then he looked at Trin and me, suddenly his voice took on an awkward tone. "Are you alright?" We nodded mutely.

Ramón laughed. "I don't know if you're an angel or not, but I can tell you're a God-fearin' kid. If you ever wanna come and scare some kids into behaving, you're welcome to come." He paused. "What's your name again?"

"Trinity Flyte. And this is Santana." Kate and the guy nodded.

"Ben."

"Nice to meet you." Ramón extended one of his huge, warm hands and we each shook.

Kate eyed us for a minute, then tapped Ben's arm and went down the street, calming people down and basically doing damage control.

"Can I ask how you got your wings Trinity?"

"Yeah… There's basically an evil, government-funded organization called ITEX. They perform immoral, cruel experiments on humans and animals. Ana and I are results of such experimentation. They work together with Planned Parenthood, as well as a zillion other government funded agencies. It's where they get the embryos to experiment on." Trinity paused. "There are others of us. Lots of us, escaped mutants. You say you run a program for troubled kids? If you ever find anyone like us—not _just _winged kids—they'll need your help and be glad of it. I know a bunch of girls who're in the same line of business."

"Do they have any sites that I can contact them on?" Ramón really seemed interested in helping—thank goodness someone was! Ben just seemed to be in shock.

"Yeah. Do have a pen?" Ramón took out a small notebook and pen. "Awesome. OK, this is the blog. Tell them that I directed you there. Talk to Sable and Beth. They should be able to answer your questions." Trinity smiled slightly. "We really should be going, though."

"I can understand, man. Thanks a lot; I'll check the place out when I get back. Have a good night, everyone." Ramón smiled and then set about cleaning the guys up from the ground.

Trinity picked up his coat and put it back on over his wings; then he took my arm with a surprisingly firm grip and pulled me into the alley, towards a tree that we could use to get onto the roof and fly. I could hear Ben start filling Kate in on what she had missed.

"Ouch," I muttered under my breath as Trin's grip on my arm tightened. Trinity let go abruptly and spun around. His eyes were smoldering, and I shrank back a few steps into the wall. He placed his hands on either side of my head, his gaze boring into my soul. "Trin, you OK?"

"I want you to remember something," he said in a dark voice; it shook with emotion. "I will _kill_ for your safety, your protection. You will never have to worry about getting hurt, because I will do anything to make you happy."

For a few moments I stared at him in surprised; then he hung his head and his shoulders drooped. Silently, he moved away, almost reluctantly taking his hands away from the wall beside me. He jumped up and caught the first branch of the small-ish oak, then swung himself up and began climbing.

I followed a few steps behind, and took off after him.

**

* * *

3****rd**** Person POV – "The Second Time"**

Sable knew something was wrong as soon as Spencer had popped on to IM with a "Thank the GODS you're alive!"

By the time he'd calmed down enough to be understandable, Sable wasn't breathing properly and she was afraid her heart would pound out of her chest. Her fingers flew across the board faster than ever.

**Sable**: OK—_What's WRONG?_

**Spencer**: ITEX is after you! They know Alex is there—but not Dom—get them out now, and they might leave you alone. That or you and your family need to leave NOW!!!!!

**Sable**: Let me go get Alex. I'll send him away. Dom's already at the Other Place. Tell everyone what's up!

**Spencer**: Alright—stay safe keep praying, Sable!

With that, she signed off and shoved herself away from the computer, running down the hall to her room where Alex, a tiger hybrid, was reading _Lord Peter_.

"ITEX is coming! You need to get out _now!_" she hissed, and grabbed his backpack. Shoving his clothes into it, she began panting out directions to him. "Go grab some of the bags of chips, and some of the stuff in the fridge from last night's dinner." He rushed out, then came back and handed her the food he'd just gathered, pushed his few other possessions into the pack, slipped his laptop into the correct pocket, and then slung the pack over his shoulder so that Sable could finish zipping it up.

Just when she'd finished zipping, he spun around and caught her arms. His yellow-green eyes met hers, and he smiled, revealing his sharp teeth. "Thanks for the place, Sabes," he purred, and then leaned forward to breathe into her ear, "I'll go to Stephanie's."

_I don't know where that is,_ Sable thought to herself confidently. _Good._

He patted her on the head, vanished down the hall, into the attic—and from there Sable knew he'd go out of the vent, onto the roof, and he'd be gone.

In turn, she ran to the phone and dialed her dad's cell phone. She paced nervously around the room as the phone rang…and rang…and—

"Sable, what's up?"

Her dad's voice was like magic. She calmed down and took a deep breath. "I just sent Alex away and Dom's still at the Other Place. ITEX is coming after me 'cause they think Alex's still here. If they find out he's gone, they'll probably let me go." She sniffed. "I'm going over to Eilish's house to wait for them to come."

For a moment the line was silent. Then, her dad said, "I'm coming home. I love you, Sable."

"Love you too, Daddy. I'm going to hang up now." She placed the phone back in its charger, put her hands over her face and tried to stop her tears before they came. Her hands were cold against her heated cheeks and her sniffles were muffled behind her fingers. She coughed softly as she wiped her face and walked towards the door. ITEX was probably watching the house—but if she could just get to Eilish's, she's be safe…But she needed to calm down first, or else it'd be too obvious and ITEX would do something rash…

She was just reaching for the door handle when the doorbell rang. She froze, eyes wide and her heart pounding in her throat. Slowly, she stood on her tiptoes to look through the peephole and bit her lip even harder. She took a step back and put a hand over her heart, feeling it going into overdrive.

There was a familiar man standing outside, with two Flyboys on either side.

For a moment she considered hiding, but a quick peek out of the peephole revealed that a Flyboy was raising a gun attached to its arm and directing it at the door. She decided quickly and pulled the door open, putting a polite smile on her face.

"Sable Yangaciao," the young man said grimly. "May we step in?"

Without a word more, the Flyboys shoved past Sable and went clanking off through the house. Sable caught herself on the door frame, nearly falling into the young man's arms. She straightened herself up and narrowed her eyes at him and looking him up and down. He was observing her just as closely, and she felt her shoulders stiffen under his gaze.

He was tall and thin, with pale skin and dark, dark brown hair. His eyes were even darker; cold and calculating, they were veiled by long lashes. His entire face was a mask of stone—cold, icy stone that hid all of emotions except for his arrogance. He was standing with a very subtle slouch, but there was something about the way he held his shoulders and head that betrayed both his pride and his power. A bracelet jingled in the biting wind, but Sable couldn't see it under his sleeve. His jacket was black, with an ID tag clipped over his heart.

_As if he had one,_ Sable thought blithely.

"Quarry not found," the Flyboys said in a mechanical unison, and Sable managed to slip out of their way before they could trample her.

"Where is he, Sable?" the man—Zachary, by his nametag—asked in the same dark, slightly warning tone.

"I don't know," she replied. "I was just alerted that you were coming and when I went to warn him he was gone."

"Well, then you wouldn't mind us taking a stroll together?" A mocking smile slid onto the mask. Her eyes narrowed further, but she closed the door behind her. "That's a girl."

She didn't like how he said that; as if he were a cat watching his prey come closer to a trap. "Where to?" She asked warily.

"Just down the street," he said. He shot a slightly annoyed glance at the Flyboys who'd moved with a hiss of pistons and clinking of metal, and then raised a hand to them. "Dismissed."

"Sir—"

"_Dismissed._" Zachary's voice was cold as ice, and his eyes were even colder. The Flyboys clanked off without another word, and when they'd disappeared around the block Zachary turned back to Sable. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" He asked angrily, pushing the door open again.

"What?" Sable stepped back quickly as he approached, forcing her back inside and down the hall. He kicked the door shut behind them, and locked the door. "What am _I_ doing? What the heck are _you_ doing, Zachary? Working for ITEX, you asshole?"

"I've always worked for ITEX," he snapped.

"Well, I've always worked for the Family!" She shot back. "I thought you knew that, what with your stupid questioning when we met last time." She glared at him. "I ask you again, what the heck are you doing? Aren't I going to be brought back to the facilities for experimentation, or will you just let me go with a warning?"

His eyes flashed and he took a step closer—Sable's back hit the wall. "Where's Alex, Sable?"

"I told you, he's gone!" She rolled her eyes. "Do you have short term memory loss or something?"

"No, I have a perfect memory." He took yet another step closer, and she straightened up, arms crossed. Drawing herself up and lifting her chin in defiance, she hooded her eyes. "Don't give me that look, girl," he snapped. "I bet he's in your room."

"Why don't you look and see?"

His eyes flashed and he took one last step, pressing her into the wall. "Why don't we both go?" he breathed maliciously, and her eyes widened. She struggled against his sudden grip on her arms, and he chuckled. "What, where'd that fire go, little—FUCK!"

Sable stepped away from him as he doubled over in pain. She rolled her eyes and inspected her nails, knowing that she had no chance of running away alive. She laughed out loud when he finally straightened up, mask of ice gone and replaced with a look of fury. His eyes were streaming, and he limped as he walked towards her. She dodged out of the way, still giggling, and snorted as he swore again.

"Language, Zach," she said mockingly, and placed both hands in front of her to hold him away. "No touching me. Anyway, the point is, Alex _isn't_ here. And you can go check on your own if you really want to, since I probably can't get out of the neighborhood alive." The light in her eyes dimmed. "And you never answered my question."

"Which one?"

"What are you going to do with me?"

He eyed her and wiped his eyes on his sleeve. "You're going to be taken back for regulation interrogation, nothing special. I don't know what else after that, but I _could_ get you out of everything altogether if you just—"

"Shut the heck up, Moore!" She glared at him, face drained of all color. "I don't want you touching me, _ever._"

"Fine, have it your way." He raised his hands in a defensive posture. "Anyway, I'll need you to come with me. The car's right outside."

"Hmph." She stomped off before him, opened the door, and then walked over to the (different) conspicuous black car that was the only stranger along the entire block. "Nice ride," she muttered.

"Thanks." He opened the door for her and closed it as she slid into the passenger seat. He slipped in on the driver's side and they drove off. "Music?"

"Hmph," she said from where she was sitting curled on the farthest edge of the seat, her head resting against the window. He sighed in frustration.

"Come on, Sable," he murmured. "It's not that bad."

"_Not that bad?"_ She asked slowly. "You just insinuated that you wanted to...Ugh. You also perform immoral, illegal experiments on human beings. You work for one of the most evil organizations of the world. A willing puppet for Evil. Just in that, being in the same car as you, breathing the same _air_ as you, makes me sick. Then there's the fact that we're going off to the facilities for 'regulation interrogation' and you have no idea what else. And because of that, I don't know if I'll ever see my family—both internet and blood relations—again."

"I have certain weight in the experimentation department, if you're that worried," he said. "I can make sure that they won't touch you."

"I can trust your word _how?_" She snapped. "You're a lying, murdering,demon!"

"At your service," he said coolly, and she rolled her eyes. "And you're an angel, then?"

"Compared to you? Yes. Really? No, I'm a sinner just like everyone else—but the contrast is still there." Sable scowled and tucked a lock of her brown hair behind her ear. "You're making me make myself sound like a holier-than-thou idiot. Can you just leave me alone?"

Zachary noted the sudden softness of her voice, though it was still bitter; through his peripheral vision he saw her hug herself tightly and stare out of the window, her gaze far away and filled with something strange to him. He wondered what she was thinking...

He was silent.

They stopped at a building she knew to be NuTex—a branch of ITEX that housed all of the most terrible experimental studies and practices. Zachary parked around the back and stepped out. The parking lot was empty except for them. Sable got out without a word, her jaw clenched. Zachary sighed and took her arm to pull her along.

"Don't look so glum," he muttered. "They'll think you're an experiment." She glared at him, but straightened her back a little bit. He rolled his eyes and held up his key pass to the door, which had no handle. The door beeped and unlocked, swinging open. They walked inside and Sable immediately felt sick: It smelled like the doctor's office, taken to a new height. She could just _smell_ the misery and death, even underneath the sterile scents of the building.

The woman at the desk didn't look up. Zachary tossed something down onto her keyboard and she took it without even a glance at Zach and his prisoner. Zach glanced at Sable, who didn't seem to be paying attention.

In reality, she was paying a great deal of mind to every breath he took, and currently she was reading what the secretary held in her lap.

_Interrogation…my quarters… Quarry escaped…_

_Wonder when he wrote that?_ _Oh, whatever. _Sable couldn't read upside-down very well. But she could make out those five words, and while three of them chilled her to the bone, the last two filled her heart with hope.

"Open," the secretary said finally, and a wall covered with cute little scenic paintings slid open to reveal a sterile white hallway, lined with doors and windows into rooms. Zachary pulled Sable down the hall, muttering, "Don't look in the windows," out of the corner of his mouth.

Sable looked into one and kept her head down from then on out.

Zachary finally stopped and put his hand on a gridded scanner. It buzzed softly, and then the door next to it clicked. Zachary pushed it open with his shoulder and let Sable step inside. He closed the door behind them and locked it.

Sable's eyes were narrowed, her face completely devoid of anything except mistrust. Zachary rolled his eyes and stepped in front of her, facing the bed. "What are you doing here, Luce?" He asked in a surprisingly light.

The young man on the bed grinned. "I heard you were bringing a friend." He cocked his head to the side and wetted his lips, appearing nothing but curious. His eyes were scarlet, as bright as flames, and his pupils were mere slits in the irises. His skin was ivory and unblemished, and his hair was blond; each strand was like liquid gold. His bangs were parted down the middle, and went slightly up before falling into his face. Almost like—no, _just_ like Edward Elric's, except without the ponytail and the antennae. His teeth, as he smiled, were pearly white—and he had two, long, fangs.

"Sable, this is Lucifer. Lucifer, this is Sable."

Sable's eyes narrowed further. "This is one of the Fallen, huh?"

"Not in the way you'd think." Zachary smiled slightly. "The Fallen are a subspecies of a race called Daemons. I created them, and the other sub-species, Grotesques. They're set to replace Flyboys. Lucifer is the first, and best of the Fallen."

Lucifer grinned again. "Thank you, thank you. You're too kind. Wanna see my wings?"

Sable nodded hesitantly and Lucifer sat up from where he'd previously been lying on the bed. He placed his long, pale legs on the floor and stood, his moves elegant and almost lazy, slow and calculated. His pale arms hung loosely at his sides, and his jeans hung low on his thin hips and seemed to be threatening to slip further down. His chest was sculpted marble, bare, and his collarbone was gently pronounced. He was beautiful, like a pagan idol of white stone.

His ruby eyes were locked on hers as his wings extended from behind him, massive and pitch-black. He opened them fully, having them meet above his head—his primaries had to fold across the ceiling because they were so long.

Sable's eyes widened, and she felt her mouth go dry. Luce grinned impishly, hearing her heart racing.

"Isn't he amazing?" Zachary said proudly.

_Not even Trinity's wings are that big,_ she thought to herself with a mixture of awe and dread. _What _**are**_ we up against?_ She made up her mind that she had to survive until she could warn the others about their new adversary. "How old are you?" Sable asked Luce.

"Sixteen."

Sable looked at Zach, puzzled. "Aren't you eighteen?" He nodded. "Then how did you create him? Were you some genius baby or something?"

"While that's possible, that's not it. Luce was a mistake of ITEX, living in solitary confinement and dying of neglect. When I arrived and began planning the Daemons, I found out about him and decided that he'd be a good test subject. And look at him now."

"I am," Sable murmured quietly.

"Anyway, to business. Luce, you can just hang out." Zachary gestured at a large, round table at one end of the room, next to a sofa and a large flat screen TV. Sable sat down and watched him carefully, keeping an eye on Luce as well. The Fallen had gone into a room that was connected to the one they were currently in, and a few seconds later the sounds of someone rummaging around in a kitchen floated out to her.

"Let's see." Zachary was sitting on the back of the couch, watching her intently. "What should we go over first?"

"Do you actually know anything about me?" Sable asked.

"You're actually barely thirteen, you were born Sable Catherine—"

"I mean about the Family, about how I know the mutants, anything else that you can't get from just looking at my records."

He shook his head, admitting, "No."

"Then that's a good place to start, don't you think?" She cocked an eyebrow at him.

"As you say. Well then, how did you find out about the mutants?"

Sable took a breath. "I read _Maximum Ride,_ found a fansite that linked to a guy named Steven who had a blog and claimed to be a mutant. Through his blog, I met some of my friends. When 'ITEX' closed that blog down, I started the Family with my friends. From then on, we've fought back. We've found out about Nutex, about how you have infiltrated the government, and use Planned Parenthood among other organizations to get the embryos you experiment on." She glared at him. "You're all disgusting."

"That wasn't the question, dear." He shrugged, unfazed. "Next, would you come work for us if it came to risking your family?"

"No."

He was completely taken aback, and obviously startled. "What?"

She fixed her chin and looked at him through hooded eyes. "My parents and I've discussed this. They've agreed that they'd rather die than have me work for you."

He swore. "There goes that choice…"

"Hm?"

"Nothing. Would you tell us where Max and Trinity's flocks are headed?"

"No."

"Where are they headed, Sable?"

"I don't know," she said truthfully. "I don't know the address."

"Of course. Do you even know any of the other safe-houses?"

"No."

He sighed. "Do you know anything?"

"Rhetorical question." Sable laughed at him and leaned back in her chair. "Come on, give me something hard."

"Can you do trigonometry?"

"Yup!" She grinned. "When you have a teacher for a dad, you pick up these things. Anyway, let me give you a question. Will I leave here alive?"

He was silent. Her smile faltered.

"You're not being funny."

"I'm not trying to be," he said quietly. "I seriously don't know. I'm the highest ranking person here, but I do have my superiors. If I get a message from them, I have to follow it. Until then, your life is in my hands." He paused, and began writing letters in the air: '_They've bugged my room + r listening to us now'._

"Oh man," Sable said wearily, and flung a rather desperate prayer up to God.

"You won't be experimented on, that's for sure. But other than that…" He bit his lip and shrugged. "I'm not the usual interrogator," he said suddenly, "and I'm certainly not the best. The usual questioner is out at the moment."

"Somehow, that makes me feel better."

"It should." He slipped off of the couch and began pacing the room. He stopped at his desk and picked something up. He fiddled with it—it was small, so Sable couldn't see what it was—and then suddenly a loud, high-pitched whine cut through the room. Sable gasped and covered her ears, and Luce shouted angrily from the other room. Zach winced as well, and then the sound ended. "Sorry, that should debug the room for a little while. My apologies, Luce!"

"It's alright, Zachary…" Luce walked out into the room with a cup of what looked like red wine in hand. "So, have you decided what to do with her yet?" He grinned at Sable and came to sit across the table from her.

"Not yet. I don't know what to do other than let her go. My superiors will probably give me a message in a few seconds, though." Zachary rolled his eyes and toggled the mouse on his computer.

"Hungry?" Luce asked. Sable shrugged. "Want some?"

"What is it?" She asked hesitantly, eying his glass.

"I don't suggest you drink it," Zachary said amusedly. "Unless you feel like becoming a cannibal. Or a vampire."

"Ugh!"

Luce laughed at Sable. "Don't worry," he said after another sip of his drink, "I drink only from extras from the blood bank, and even then it's rare. Usually I just have pork blood from the Japanese market." He made a face.

"That's a relief," she muttered.

Zachary chuckled and then stopped abruptly. "Damn," he muttered. "Alright. Sable, we need to go to a different room—there are cameras there, as well as mikes, so however I act out there is acting for the sake of my superiors, so they don't kill you, not my actual, well, thoughts and feelings." He paused, straightening up. He had a strange look on his face, bordering from amused to vaguely frightened to anxious and to bored. "I'm going to get you out of here. But you have to react to my words how you would as if I haven't spoken to you like this, alright?"

"Err… What?"

He sighed agonizingly. "It'll have to do. Come on, honey."

She turned flaming red, but stood and followed him to the door. Zachary shot a look over his shoulder. "Luce, you can come too. But just stay silent, and I'll have to have you stand outside. When you hear my knock, though, open the door and prepare to help me get Miss Yangaciao out before anyone notices."

"Alright!" Lucifer jumped up, leaving his now empty glass on the table, grinning ecstatically as if this was a birthday surprise.

"Follow me."

Zachary led them down the white sterile hall. It was an endless hall, seemingly going miles. Sable kept her eyes to the floor. "Alright, in here." Zachary opened a door and let Sable go inside. He cast a meaningful glance at Luce, who leaned against the wall casually and began picking at his teeth. The door slid closed.

"Come on, sweetie," Zachary said as he walked inside. "Won't you tell me anything?"

"No." Sable glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Nothing at all?" He was now right in front of her, and had her backed against the wall.

"Never," she spat.

"Ever?" He whispered huskily, his lips right above her ear.

She shuddered involuntarily. _God,_ she thought helplessly. _Jesus, I love You—send this temptation _away!

"Come on, doll," Zachary murmured into her neck. Her skin crawled under the butterfly touches, as his hands slid up her waist. "There're rewards for people who help ITEX."

"I'm not a Judas," she said forcefully. "I'd rather be a martyr than a traitor."

"Ah, so you're a Catholic then?" He nipped at her neck and she resisted the urge to knee him again. His probing fingers found something hard underneath her shirt, resting on her sternum, and he tugged on her shirt sleeve a bit so that he could find the chain. He pressed her into the wall with his hips and pulled it out, snapping it off of her neck. She gasped and struggled to reach out for it, but he held it away and laughed. "Here's your God? God is dead, you know. He died thousands of years ago, and what good has it done? Evil is still here. ITEX is still here, ITEX will be here forever."

"Give it back!" She shouted furiously. "Give it _back_!" His forearm pressed against her neck, choking her, snapping her head back so that it connected sharply with the wall. She blinked at him blearily, her eyes misting over. He had a gun in his other hand, as well as her necklace. "Please, give it back," she pleaded.

He leaned close to her face, the crucifix and medal clenched tightly in his fist. "Kiss me and I'll think about it," he murmured, and pressed his lips to hers.

Her tears overflowed as he forced his way into her mouth, pressing her even more firmly into the wall. Her necklace clattered as it fell from his hand, which went to tangle roughly in her hair. She didn't resist, offering up her pain and intense misery. _Lord, help me_, she begged silently.

Finally, Zach pulled away. He was breathing heavily, and he had a little bit of blood in his mouth from where he'd bitten Sable's lip. He released her carelessly and walked to the other side of the room. She slid to the floor and reached out for the broken chain on the floor. She cradled it against her chest, pulling her knees up to her chin.

"What was that?" Zachary asked, frowning as he drew near her again.

She looked up at him, her eyes red and filled with tears. "I forgive you," she sobbed.

His face twisted in fury and he brought the butt of his pistol down against the side of her head. Her eyes slid closed and she fell to the side, sprawled on the floor like a rag doll, her hair splayed out around her head like a halo. The sight infuriated him, and for a moment he considered letting Lucifer in and letting him have lunch—then he sighed and lifted her limp body, walking determinedly to the door, banging it with his elbow.

Luce opened the door and Zachary walked out, letting it slide closed behind him.

He handed the girl off to Luce, who cradled her awkwardly—but tenderly—against his chest. "Do all humans look this…endearing?" Luce asked quietly as they began walking. Zachary looked at him strangely, then shrugged. "She looks much happier unconscious than when she was with us. Just an observation." Lucifer shrugged it off and followed Zach outside.

"Just put her in the car, and follow from the sky. If we're followed, take care of them," the young scientist ordered.

Luce gently laid Sable in the backseat of the car, and then closed the door and tested his wings for a few moments. "Alright," he said finally, and then crouched down to launch himself as far as his long legs could propel him. His black wings took him circling upwards so quickly that in just a few seconds he was just a black dot in the sky.

Zachary hurried into his car and sped out of the parking lot, racing down the streets to try and get to Sable's house before either her parents got home, or ITEX decided to follow him. Sable remained silent and unmoving in the dark back seat, and Zach began to feel the gnawing, nagging presence of his conscience. He attempted to stifle it.

"God, Sable," he muttered as he pulled up in front of her house. There wasn't a single car on the street now, for which he was glad. "Why do you have to go and make things so damn hard for me?" He stomped out of the car and dragged her out, then headed briskly to the door. It was still unlocked, thankfully. He opened it and let it shut part-way behind him so that Sable's parakeets (who were free in the house) wouldn't escape. Then he started kicking open doors, trying to find her bedroom. He finally found a room that looked like it might be hers, and lay her down on the larger, bottom bed of the bunk in the room.

He looked around, waiting for Luce to find a place to land and make it inside. Sable's room was tiny; there was barely enough room for her bed, dresser, desk, and two bookshelves. Religious items covered her desk—it was more of a shrine than anything else. A painting hung above the top bunk, classical and very beautiful. Among her collection were a large variety of very, very old books. He thumbed through one absently.

Luce came into the room at that moment and his ruby eyes widened. "This is amazing," he murmured, looking around incredulously. "Are all humans' rooms like this?"

"Not usually."

"Oh." Luce blinked, and then went to sit down next to Sable, who was spread on her side, still unconscious. "She's nothing like the rest of my kind," he said quietly. "And not at all like the scientists. What's Catholic?"

"It's a religion," Zach said without a care. "It's the origin of Christianity. Historically, it's actually the Church that Jesus Christ founded himself—but who cares? He's dead."

Zach didn't see it, so absorbed was he in the book, but Luce frowned, troubled, and reached over to touch the crucifix dangling from Sable's clenched fist.

She stirred slightly, her brow creasing in sudden pain. Luce withdrew his hand as if shocked, and then leaned over Sable. "Wake up, Sable," he cooed. "You're home!"

Her eyes fluttered open and she took a moment to realize where she was and who was crouching over her. Her breath caught in her throat and her heart went into a panic; she sat up quickly, nearly knocking Luce over, and backed as far into the headboard as she could. Luce frowned again, worried—the scent of fear was suddenly strong, and he couldn't see why. He knew that Zachary wasn't the nicest person in the world, and wasn't the most ethical, and was rather a hypocrite…but he wasn't _that_ bad, right?

Luce was suddenly filled with a strange doubt and bit his lip.

Sable had caught her breath and was now crying again, fresh tears spilling over the tracks of the old. Zachary looked over and rolled his eyes. "I warned you," he said.

"That wasn't acting," she protested. "That was—that was—"

"What? Serious?" He laughed harshly. "Sable dearest, I am never serious with women."

She stood up, limbs shaking. "You aren't a bastard," she said scathingly, "you're a willing puppet of Satan. Get out of my house _now_!"

He raised an eyebrow at her and fingered his gun. "Who are you to order me around?"

Her stormy eyes flashed as if with lightning, and she stepped right up to his chest. "I'm your conscience," she spat, and slapped him. Hard.

He stared at her incredulously. "Aren't Christians supposed to love one another?" He asked.

"I'm going to Confession straight after this," she snapped. "Get out before I commit a mortal sin!"

"Fine then. Come on, Luce."

Zachary turned to leave, and Lucifer stood. He waited a few moments while Zachary walked out and then listened to the car rev up and leave. Luce turned troubled, jewel-like eyes to Sable and bit his lip again. "I'm sorry," he said hesitantly. "I don't know what just happened, but I realize you're hurt. I know Zachary is a bad person, but you mustn't condemn him. He does it for Stephie." He put his hand on hers and then left, his marble skin glistening in the evening light and his wings pressed tightly against his shoulders.

Sable looked down at the hand he'd touched, and saw the only part of her necklace that she'd been missing—the St. Michael medal. Her knees gave way, and then she curled up, trying to keep her suddenly aching soul together.

"I hate irony," she whispered.

And Sable cried.


	11. Chapter 10: Fear

_**A/N: **__Sorry it's been a while, but D's been off a bit, and without her I just couldn't write. Now she's back, so yay! Here's chapter 10._

**Trinity POV**

I was on the couch in the living room, we were watching some animal documentary--yes, I get the irony. Beth was sitting off to the side, the phones spread out around her, giving me the evil eye. Technically, it wasn't my fault. Everyone was calling, worrying about Beth's 'cousins.'

Angel was sitting on my lap, mostly because I wouldn't make her get off. She was wearing my jacket (my non-ripped one), just because she could. She said it made her look "bad-arse". She was good about skipping the swear-word.

She was also the first one to feel the phone vibrate. She handed it to me. "Sable," she said without taking her eyes from the TV.

I flipped it open. "Hey, Sabes," I said as I put the phone to my ear. "What's—"

"Trinity."

The way she said my name, her voice broken and choked with tears, called to me. With one arm I set Angel on the floor and stood. "What's wrong?" I asked, setting a brisk pace through the house to find the first empty room possible.

Ana looked up from the kitchen table as I passed by, and the instant she saw my face she started to follow. I closed the door to the room the other guys and I were sharing. I listened intently for Sable, waiting for her to speak. "Sable, are you OK?" My voice was low, tense. I was wound, I was worried. "Sable?"

"You alone?" she croaked.

"Yes." I sat down with my back against the door. "Tell me what's wrong."

"It's that Z-Zachary…"

"Did he hurt you?" I demanded.

Her voice broke. "Not badly…"

"What the Hell did he do to you?"

She coughed miserably. "He kissed me, and he hit me over the head with the butt of his gun… And he-he-he kept implying that he w-w-wanted to…to…" Her voice trailed off into a whisper, and a sob ripped from her throat.

"Where are your parents?" I asked sharply.

"Dad's on his way h-h-home…"

"And Dom?"

"He's at the Other Place…"

"Alex escaped?"

"Mhm…"

I grit my teeth and ran a hand through my hair, fingers digging into my scalp hard. "So you're alone, in the house, he comes and hurts and interrogates you, insinuates he wants to rape you…"

"Spence came up on IM, told me ITEX was coming. I got Alex out and then Zach came. The Flyboys looked through the house, and when they didn't find anything Zach sent them off and he closed the door and insinuated he wanted to…and then he dragged me off to Nutex, and… That's the reason I called, Trin. They've got new experiments. The Daemons."

I felt cold. "What are they?"

"There are two subspecies," she began in a slightly stronger voice, "the Fallen, and the Grotesques. The Fallen are beautiful, just like fallen angels. Their leader is Lucifer, and he's actually pretty nice—I guess. They have wings bigger than even yours. And they're vampiric. I don't know how the rest look, but I guess they look a lot like Luce because he's the first of them, and all of them are based off of his DNA. Zach created them, and the Grotesques. The Grotesques… I caught a glimpse of them while we were walking down the hall. There's a huge room, with steel walls and no doors near the floor—all the doors and platforms are up high on the wall, so that the creatures can't get to them.

"And Trin, you know 'The Unborn' movie?"

"Ugh."

"They're worse than that demon old man thing on the poster. They eat each other, and anything that gets close to them. They have shock collars, but that barely stops them. They're _monsters_."

I took a deep breath. "Alright. Thanks for warning us, are you sure you're OK? We can head out now."

"No, don't rush." Her voice had lowered again, pleading with me. "Find your parents first. This is all part of the job. I'll be OK…later…"

I settled back against the door. "Do you want me to hang up?" I asked bluntly, knowing the answer.

"No." She sniffed.

"Alright." I put her on speaker, but kept the volume down. "Just talk. I'm listening."

"Trinity, I'm scared."

"I know."

"I wish…"

"I know." I sighed and closed my eyes. "I know how you feel, Sable."

Memories from years and years ago came to life behind my eyelids as she spoke of her fear. In a trembling, breaking voice she whispered her heartache. Sometimes she sobbed. And the memories flew through my mind with startling vividness. The feeling of skin against skin, of privacy and self and the innermost parts of your soul violated and ripped to shreds. The sense of being lost, even in the most familiar surroundings. Of being plunged into a black-and-gray world where terrifying monsters lurked in every corner...

And for Sable, it was real. For Sable, she couldn't fight. The younger me couldn't fight either. I couldn't cry, couldn't scream, couldn't fight. So young, so fragile… So broken.

"I love you, Sabes," I said gently. "I'm here for you."

"I know." There was the sound of her sleeve against the phone as she wiped her face. "I miss you. Find your parents soon, and then come here. I want to hug my big brother again, y'know?"

"And I want to beat the snot out of that bastard Zachary for hurting my little sister." I sighed wearily. "Is Dom coming?"

"I don't know. I don't know the number for Steph's place…"

"I'll call her, alright? I'll put you on hold. I'm right here."

"Thanks, Trinity," she said softly.

I dialed quickly. "Hey, Stephenie, this is Trinity. Is Dom there?"

"Yeah. Let me get him."

A few moments passed.

"Skree."

"Dom, Sable needs you ASAP." I filled him in as fast as I could, and hissed in agreement when he let out a shriek of fury. I could understand him clearly—'_I'm going to kill him!'_ he was grinding out shrilly in his falcon's voice. "I'm on the phone with her now, just to keep her company. But she needs you. Hurry."

"_Scree, kee. Kree, scree, kree-click-kree. Click-click?"_

"That's a good idea. I'll fill her in."

"Skree."

"See you." I hung up on his line and went back to Sable. "You still there?"

"Mhm."

"Dom's on his way. Now, until we manage to make our way around the world and back to your house, I don't want you doing anything alone. I want Dom with you whenever your parents leave, I want Dom with you whenever you're walking around the block, checking the mail, the laundry, going to school. I don't care what the heck the teachers think, think of something. He doesn't have to be seen—even by you, but he's going to be following you around. I don't want you to take any chances."

"Alright."

"And..Sable."

"Yes?"

"I'm always here to talk. And if you ever change your mind, I'll hop on a plane and be there as soon as I can."

"But you hate planes."

I nodded. "That's how serious I am. I'd walk to you if I had no choice."

"Hey there, Delilah." She sighed to herself. "I really do miss you guys… So much. I hope you find your parents soon."

"I hope so too."

* * *

**Ana POV**

I paced in the hall, over and over, worried. I hated that look. I couldn't understand it, couldn't wrap my head around it. Something was wrong. Finally, I couldn't take it ay more. I marched towards the door, but instead of opening it quickly and fluidly demanding he tell me what was wrong so I could help, I hesitantly opened the door, and he fell backwards. I guess I should have checked if he was up against it or not, my bad.

He looked up at me with shiny amber eyes. "Zachary went after her," he said quietly.

My heart took a sudden leap for my throat. "What!" I squawked. "Is she OK?"

The look he was giving me--the sad, angry, frightened expression--clued me in to how serious this was. "She got out lucky."

I made my way over to the steps and sank down. I dropped my head onto my hands. "Oh Lord."

He sat down beside me and put his arm around my shoulders. As he explained, in a low, steady voice, what had happened to Sable it felt like his words were taking all of my energy. He gently squeezed my shoulder. "She didn't call to tell me all of that, though," he said quietly. "She has a warning…" And so he told me about the Daemons.

I shuddered as he described the Grotesques. "Can we kill living things?" I asked softly. "They may be soulless, and they may be unstoppable otherwise…but how can we kill something made out of human embryos?"

"We don't know if that's what they're hybrids of," Trinity murmured, "but… We have to. We have to defend ourselves. And we have to stop Zachary, and everyone else in ITEX and Nutex, and anyone in the future from creating them."

"What about the Fallen? If Sable thought he was even a bit nice, that would mean that he's more on our side than theirs and possibly being held by force, or by ignorance. If he's that good, then maybe the rest of the Fallen… Maybe they could help?"

I took a deep breath and nodded. "OK, OK Trin." I shivered. "What do we do now?"

"Sabes says she wants me to find my parents first," he sighed. "I agree, of course, but I'm biased. But I also have a new take on the message. Fallen angels sound familiar to you?"

"Oh."

"Yeah." He bit his lip. "I don't want to listen to Sable, but… She's a tough little girl, and she'll be fine if she says she will be."

I leaned against him. "Yeah, and she'd feel rotten if you missed out on finding your parents because of her." I sighed. "So, we keep on with what we have been doing, only we're even more careful." I shook my head. "We're going to have to tell the others."

"Of course."

"Beth is going to have a panic attack."

"They're best friends. Of course she will." He put his head in one hand. "And Kate's going to kill any man in a white coat who has the name 'Zach', and KIX will want to fly straight to Sable…"

"And while 'The' Flock is going to be sympathetic, Max and Fang are mainly going to want to know about the danger and how it'll affect us..."

"And Mason and Bella will…

"And, and, and…" I sighed. "We might as well just go tell them."

"Yeah." He stood and held out a hand to help me up. "Come on, let's get it over with."

Angel ran in with Kate, Nudge, and Max. "I already explained to them," she said in a melancholy voice as Kate beat on Fang's chest and demanded that he "Let me at 'im!"

I went over to Kate and gave her a tight hug. "We have to find Trin's parents first. Dom's with her, she'll be ok until we get there. Then we can hunt Zach down."

"Well then let's find them already!" She growled. "What're we waiting for?"

"I always wanted to go back to New York!" Nudge cheered.

I turned to Trin. "When do you think Mason and Bella will be back?"

He opened his mouth to speak when the door opened. "There's your answer," he said smartly.

"I'll fill them in." Angel disappeared down the hall for a minute, then returned with Bella and Mason. Beth came in after them, having passed off phone duty to her Mom.

KIX came trailing in behind. "I smell trouble," he said upon entering. "What's up?"

While Trin finished telling them what had happened, I followed Beth over to the wall. "What's up?"

She sighed. "Besides this mess? You guys are gonna get about a dozen pies and apologies from the school board." She bit her lip. "I could go see Sable, but I'm not sure my parents would let me. My aunts are coming down…" And thus I lost Beth to her thoughts. I went back to the group, Mason and Bella's faces echoing our earlier worry.

Trinity patted KIX on the shoulder, giving the wolf-bird-boy a knowing look. "Beth?" KIX asked smoothly. "Want to come to Manhattan with us?"

Her eyes were as wide as dinner plates. "Really? Yes!" I could swear, KIX _blushed._ And I could swear he turned even redder when she hugged him. "Thank you, thank you! I better tell Mom--hold on!" She disappeared down the hall.

I looked around. "Anyone else have anything to do?" Nudge nodded. "Everyone... Start packing....NOW!"

And, for the millionth time in our lives, we gathered up as much clothes and food as we could and got ready to go.

This time, Trinity was shoved into shotgun next to Mason, and Nudge managed to get it in Bella's car. Max, Kate and Angel were with her and Bella, while KIX, Beth, Fang and I were in with Trin and Mason. Beth was vibrating with excitement.

I sighed as I listened to her happy rambling for ages and ages, until she started to fall asleep. I laughed. "Did you have Mt. Dew?"

"Possibly..."

Fang laughed. "I said you all had your quirks."

"That's right." KIX stroked Beth's hair absently from behind, then jerked his hand away when he realized what he was doing—luckily for _him_, she hadn't noticed. "We're pretty quirky. That's such a weird word… Quirk, quirk, quirk…duck!"

She giggled. "Maybe that's where they got 'Plurk' from..."

"Sabes' is always on that place… Trin, how's your account going?"

"If not for Dom hacking it and always using it, I'd have no karma at all."

Beth rubbed her eyes. "I'm never ever on. I've probably starved from lack of karma or somethin'..."

"I have more emotes than you. My favorite's the banana with sunglasses." Trin mimicked the dance.

"Me thinks you is weird, but funny." Beth leaned back and grinned at KIX. "What do you think?"

He fumbled for words and spluttered out something that I didn't catch, but it made Beth laugh. I smirked at him when she turned back around and wasn't paying attention. "Laughter is good, but you still don't stand a chance."

He looked at me in exasperation, rolling his bright eyes. I grinned and looked back at Fang. "Think he stands a chance?"

Fang gave me a crooked smile and glanced at KIX out off the corner of his eye. "No way."

KIX crossed his arms. "No fair, I so do stand a chance. Just you wait, you'll see."

Beth suddenly zoned back into the conversation. "You guys betting on Dom and KIX racing again?" She asked.

"Yeah," KIX said quickly. "That's it. I'm _so_ going to win."

"Nuh-uh, Dom always kicks your butt."

"It's no fair!" KIX moaned. "He's a peregrine, I'm a hummer. Shouldn't I be able to at least catch his _tail?_ I only lose because you guys show no support." He pouted and looked up at Beth with puppy dog eyes. I giggled.

She squirmed; unless the puppy dog eyes were from a relative, she was sunk. "Fine, I'll make a sign or something to show my support, okay? You do stand a chance."

He grinned and pecked her on the cheek. This time he controlled himself and didn't blush—but she did. He did a little happy dance in the back. Mason grinned at me in the rear-view mirror. "You should support him too, Ana," he said, and I knew he wasn't talking about the race. I snickered.

"Never." I made a face at KIX.

"I'll make you a bet," Trinity said, turning around in his seat to look at KIX. "If you _lose_ against Dom next time, you have to kiss…_her._" He pointed at Beth accusingly, and KIX's face totally blanked out. His jaw dropped.

Beth turned scarlet and crossed her arms. "Oh, gee, thanks, Trinity."

"No problem!" He grinned innocently.

I interrupted KIX's flustering, speaking low enough that Beth couldn't really hear us. "Hey, she didn't bet on you winning, and you never bet against a psychic..."

KIX jumped. "OK! Trin, you're on!"

"Nice one!" Fang knocked fists with Trin.

I rolled my eyes. "Boys."

* * *

Night rolled around and Bella and Mason parked under the cover of trees. We piled out and let Bella and Mason share one of the vans to sleep in. Angel, Nudge and Kate got the other van, leaving us "Old Geezers" out in the open.

KIX helped Beth get comfortable under a tree, and then shimmied his way up into the branches above her head. Max found a tree, and Trin, Fang and I found different levels in another tree. Eventually, though, Fang ruffled my hair and nodded. I climbed up to the very, very top of the tree where I found Trin wedged between the topmost branches, being rocked to sleep by the wind.

I didn't know what to say, I didn't even touch him; he reached down and brushed my cheek, and then his hand went back to his lap and his head tilted up to the sky. "I'm worried," he whispered.

"You feel it too?" I asked.

"Something's going to happen…" He sighed. "And since whenever we both get these feelings they turn out to be right, and since when we're right it generally turns into a life-threatening event, I want to talk about what I said the other day… Not the night of the dance, but at Dr. Martinez's place…"

I shook my head. "No, Trin…"

"Just hear me out." He met my eyes and I relented.

"Fine."

"I still like you, love you, and there's no way to say that without sounding cheesy." I could see his cheeks turn slightly pink, but he kept going. "I know I'm going to sound like a loser when I remind you that I'm never going to give up, and you already know that."

I groaned, but inwardly I was screaming. Yeah, I already knew that--WRONG! I thought he was just being a whiney, jealous person when Max told me... 'He can just tell it to my face', I'd said… And now look. He was saying it to my face.

_Careful what you wish for, girl._

"Look, Trin," I said slowly. "We already had this conversation. I told you—"

"And I already told you, I _know_ the true meaning of love. And I thought you did too. Etcetera, etcetera. Now we're having a new conversation. You told Max I should say it to your face; here I am, saying it to your face. What else can I do? I can't just kiss you right here, with Fang sitting right underneath us… Even if he were miles away, I wouldn't do that. Ana… You hate stuff like roses and chocolates, what can I do to show you that I really mean what I say?"

"You could—"

"I can't tell you the T.M.o.L., then you'd just go to Fang and tell him what I said. That's cheating."

"I wasn't going to say that!" I glowered at him, and then looked away. "I was going to say, you could just stop trying to get me to love you back."

He inhaled deeply through his mouth; I could just sense his chest tightening painfully, his heart rising to his throat. He swallowed and nodded.

He said, "Alright," and then fell so silent that I thought he might've disappeared into thin air.

I reached over and touched his jacket. "I'm sorry, really, it's just...you're pushing too hard, and you're pushing me away."

Trinity nodded. "I understand." He shrugged. "So, what do you think could be wrong? I mean, what do you think's going to go wrong next?"

"I have no idea." I floundered a bit mentally. I wasn't like him, able to just switch topics so easily. "Maybe they're going to send the Fallen after us?"

His face went hard. "That's possible. They'd be something new, something we don't know how to fight yet. Itex might think of that."

"Of course, now that we said it, they won't send those—"

"And now that you said that, they will."

"Now they won't."

"Now they will."

"Now they won't—"

Angel's shrill voice cut us off, causing KIX to fall out of his tree:

"_They're coming!"_


	12. Chapter 11: Hellfire

Wing It

_**A/N:**__ Here's chapter 11 for you._

**Chapter 11**

* * *

After a quick glance at Trin we jumped down together and met the others at the bottom of the trunk. Trin was all business. "How many?" Angel shook her head.

"I don't know. They're thinking funny, all their thoughts are in a jumble…"

I looked around, seeing nothing. "How long? Where are they?"

"Here!"

Nudge gasped, pointing into the shadows around us. I looked around, eyes narrowed at the sight of red irises glowing in the darkness. They were completely silent as they moved, their eyes glowing so brightly that it was like they were red fireflies, except they never blinked, and they remained completely level as they floated towards us.

Mason and Bella were standing back-to-back, wings tense and fists at the ready. Fang and Max were close to each other, with Angel between them. Iggy and Gazzy were holding bombs or something in their hands--where they got this stuff beat me. Angel, Nudge and Kate were right behind me. And Trin was at my side.

_"Angel,"_ I thought sharply, _"Can you tell how many yet?"_

_"Only about thirty," _she replied, _"but I can't be sure..."_

Thirty. Thirty against our...how many did we have? Thirteen? About two against one. We could handle this, or at least we could handle it long enough to get away. Unless the Fallen were incredibly far more advanced than Flyboys… I nodded at Trin and tried to keep as many of them in sight as I could. It was dead silence for all of five seconds or so, neither side moving, barely breathing.

Then they attacked.

I was attacked by only one of the beautiful males; Trinity was attacked by five--and Fang by four. Somehow, the boys managed to hold their own. I was almost overwhelmed just by this one tall, scarlet eyed, ivory fanged monster. He grabbed my arms and lifted me right off the ground, then slammed me into a tree. But something was off... He didn't try to kill me. He just pinned me there and stood firm, watching his comrades as they held Kate, Nudge, KIX, Gazzy, Iggy still...

"What do you want with them?" I shrieked as the remaining Fallen lunged at Trin and Fang; Max, Bella and Mason were still putting up a good fight, but the clear focus was on Trin and Fang. The Fallen that was holding me looked back at me. He shrugged, face impassive. "Zachary commanded us to bring the fair haired, tan one and the dark one. He said he didn't care what we did with the rest of you."

I struggled against him even though it was useless. "What are you going to do?"

He leaned closer, and sniffed at my neck. "Well, to tell you the truth, you do smell good..."

"Uh, no thank you!" I squirmed. "You seem nice for a monster. Please, don't."

He shrugged and leaned back, smiling slightly to reveal pointed canines. "Alright," he said in his low, purring voice. "I'll be nice and just knock you out. It looks like our job here is done." He adjusted his grip on my arms and with his now-freed hand, smacked me over the head.

My vision went black.

* * *

When I came-to I jumped up, and caused my head to go spinning. One glance around told me what had happened. They'd left us alone. We were still in the same place, all they'd done was knock us out--and taken Fang and Trin. My heart tightened. "Is everyone alright?"

Angel clung to my legs. "We're fine," Nudge rasped. I looked over at Max, who nodded. Kate was helping Bella help Mason, who'd apparently gotten a nasty hit on the head. KIX was hiding Beth from view, worrying over her. Iggs and Gazzy were searching through the grass for something, probably parts of bombs.

I got a firm grip on Angel's shoulders, and looked at her. "Ange..."

She nodded. "I know. I'm looking." She closed her eyes and her face scrunched up.

Max crossed over. "We could leave the others here, have Mason and Bella take the others and keep driving, and you and I, maybe Iggs too, could go track down the Fallen. If we leave soon, we might be able to track them..."

"KIX can tell us which direction they went in," I said. "I like your idea, Max... We could then call Mason and Bella and rendezvous with them. That could just work."

Max nodded. "It will work. It has to." The look in her eyes was fierce and determined, and I'm pretty sure my eyes looked like that too. She turned around, to face the boys so she could yell at them. "Iggs! KIX! Get your arses over here!"

We filled them in on the plan, and as the others drifted over everyone got the gist of what was going on.

KIX took a few deep sniffs and pointed. "East," he said.

I nodded and looked at Mason and Bella. "You guys get as far away from here as reasonably possible, and try to stay on populated roads and areas. ITEX wouldn't dare attack in the open. We'll call you up soon, don't worry." I looked back at Max and Iggy. "You guys ready?"

Max snapped out her wings and Iggy nodded. "Always." We took a running start, and took off at about the same time. Max and I shared the lead, with Iggy trailing a little behind and a little lower.

We spotted the building by late afternoon. It was in a remote location, and my eagle eyes couldn't see a town anywhere in the distance. It must've been a largely experiment-containment branch of ITEX, to have so much room for the building itself and then the outside grounds.

"No electric netting above... Looks like they don't have so many flying hybrids. Let's land here," Max called. We angled our bodies and landed quickly.

Iggy tapped Max's shoulder once we were on the ground and spoke in a whisper. "There's also the possibility they aren't worried about flying experiments even wanting to escape, besides Trin and Fang. Those Fallen looked pretty in line, we might not be able to escape to the air."

She nodded. "I'll keep that in mind. Get down!"

We ducked low under the cover of the bushes, but I could clearly see the Fallen that had just stepped out from behind a tree a little ways away. They couldn't possibly have seen us, but they might have smelled us…

As the winged person got closer—I couldn't tell if it was male or female from this angle—it began disappearing from view behind the bushes we were in. I held my breath… I couldn't tell if they were standing right next to me, that's how silent they were…

"I know you're there," its voice whispered _right in my ear._ "Since I do not have orders regarding intruders, I won't mention you. But I advise you to leave."

"I can't," I whispered back.

"Ah, rescue mission?" The Fallen's voice got lower. "Hurry. The scientist's lunch break starts in ten minutes, it is a half-hour break and they are gathering in the arena. I do not know why… But it might give you time."

I stared. "Why are you helping us?"

They didn't get the chance to reply, Iggy was already tugging on my arm. "Let's go!" I turned and ran with them, using the cover available. I didn't look back until we were almost in the building, and then there was no sign of the Fallen who had assisted us.

I looked over at Max. "Why do you think--"

"It doesn't matter; they didn't want to hurt us, so let's take that as a good thing. Duck again."

As the scientists passed, I listened to their conversation. Something about the "newly captured rogues" being held on Containment Floor 3, Room 412, and how they could never escape.

The scientists disappeared down the corner, and Iggy, Max and I hardly looked at each other before we were running to the nearest elevator, pressing the button, and then hiding—just in case the elevator that came down here was occupied. We were lucky, as it wasn't. We quickly went to the floor labeled "Containment Floor 3".

It was easy enough; we ducked into a janitor's closet once we heard the bell calling all the scientists to lunch go off. We waited there until we couldn't hear anything anymore, and the crowd of voices had passed. Once they were gone we ran down the hall, checking every door, looking for 412. When we came to the 400s, there was another jumble of voices and we just barely made it without being seen. We wound up cramped together between a desk and a wall, the white coats' voices not too far away from us.

But those voices faded away without incident. We finally reached 412, and ripped open the door to find...

"Rescue team!" one of the experiments whispered, being smart and keeping his voice down so not to call attention to us.

"Get your butts out without being seen, and please, please, please don't alert anyone to you escaping! We have to get our friends out—you seen a tall, dark, emo looking bird kid, or a tall, blond, scary bird kid around here?" I tried to be as fast as I could, like Nudge. We had no time.

"Yeah," another experiment said softly. "They took both of them to the Coliseum."

…

"Oh my God." I turned around and ran down the hall. "Max, you and Iggs go find a way out, I'll get Fang and Trin. I'll catch up with you soon, you better have an escape route by then!" I shouted.

I ran almost the whole way there, the signs on the walls were really helpful. And, amazingly enough, I didn't run into anyone--until I was down the hall from the Coliseum. I heard a loud thrum of voices, as if everyone in the building was inside. They probably were. I dove for the first air vent I saw, and climbed through it, forcing my way up, up, where I wouldn't be seen. And when I found an exit I jumped and climbed to the rafters, and started hunting like an eagle for them. It's amazing how no one ever looks up.

Let me explain what a Coliseum is. Every major ITEX facility has one, where strong experiments are set against each other like pit bulls. These battles were what ITEX called "Natural Selection" and "Survival of the Fittest". The theory behind this brutal sport was this; whichever experiment survived was obviously superior, and therefore that line of experimentation was brought to the forefront of their efforts, and everything went on. Usually, the Survival battles were only between top experiments—Omega and Max, for example; although, that wasn't nearly as brutal as usual battles were.

So there I was, waiting for the latest battle to start. I knew at least one, or both of the boys were fighting (since it could be one-on-one, or two-on-one, or two-on-two, or any combination).

I could see a young scientist fiddling with his laptop, and one of the screens on the wall lit up with data—experiment numbers, gobble-de-gook that only twisted scientists needed, and two names, enlarged and in fancy fonts: _Alpha vs. Beta_

_All that's missing is Omega,_ I thought to myself, and bit my lip. _I wonder who's who…_

"Alright, everyone!" I jumped as the young man's voice echoed forth from hidden speakers. "Do you have the camera set up, Yolanda? Good. Everyone have their note taking items? Yes? Great. Are we ready?" A murmur of assent from the all-too calm crowd. "Alright. Bates, open the doors."

A button was pressed, there was a soft beep, and then the doors on either side of the arena slid open without a sound. My eyes zeroed in on Trinity first; tall, thin, and imposing, with his wings spread out on either side. Attached to his either wing was a Flyboy, holding them open, as if he were on display, just a captured bird in a science observation. That's probably all that Flyboys were good for nowadays, now that they were almost obsolete.

Trin's tawny hair was grimy, his skin was ashen with a sickly flush along his cheekbones, and his eyes were closed. Even from here I could tell that he wasn't breathing properly. On his left shoulder was a silver cuff with an _A_ engraved on it—_Alpha._ His hands were bound together in front of him, engulfed in a strange silvery substance that made it look like his hands had been dipped in paint and glued together.

Even as I watched, a scientist approached and filled a needle with a clear liquid. Half-conscious, Trin shied away from the needle on instinct. He was so weak, however, that the scientist grabbed his arm and the needle sank into Trin's neck with only slight, almost non-existent resistance. With a hissing sound the syringe was emptied into Trin's bloodstream—it reminded me of the old Enterprise injections… The scientist released my boy, but the Flyboys still held him.

Trin's eyes opened slowly, and after a few moments of dazed blinking, he glared up at Zach with a look of pure loathing.

A movement at the other side of the arena alerted me to the fact that the other experiment had just been administered the waking-drug. Fang stood at the far end of the room, held in a similar position as Trinity. His wings glistened in the light, glossy black and purple in the blinding white fluorescents. They were the exact opposite of Trin's snowy feathers, and his dark hair was a stark contrast to Trin's tawny, golden locks. Fang's dark eyes were also locked on the young scientist with the same intense hatred as Trin.

I was suddenly struck with a thought, and a chill ran down my spine. What was I supposed to do now? Both of them were about to be released—I could swoop down and we could all fly out. I mean, they wouldn't actually fight each other, would they? All the previous battles had been between two starving, half-insane, blood-thirsty, _frightened_ experiments who knew nothing except pain and orders. Fang and Trin were the exact opposite—they'd most likely refuse to fight each other!

…right?

I was suddenly overcome with paralyzing doubt. _What if I was wrong?_ They could fight, one of them get killed, and if the survivor caught up with us he could pretend that Flyboys did it or something! With a sickening jolt, I remembered how Trinity had told me, in a desperate moment, that he'd do _anything_ for me…and how Fang had explicitly said that he'd kill to keep those he loved safe…

"Before we begin, I'd like you to note the injection. It was of a chemical that will activate Alpha and Beta's true experiment natures—more specifically, their attack and destroy instincts."

_Thanks, White-Coat,_ I thought miserably. _Just go and kill all of my last hopes, as per usual. Jerk, idiot, demon…_

"My name is Zachary Moore, head director of experimentation. The Natural Selection will commence momentarily…" A few more jots down on their clipboards, and then Zachary—that bleeping jack arse!—looked around and asked, "Is everyone ready?" Zach's icy eyes looked around, then hardened as a silken, evil smile spread across his face. "Alpha, Beta…" His eyes flickered up into the rafters and I froze, hoping against hope that he _didn't know_ I was here…

"Attack."

* * *

The two bodies were released like out of cannons, hurtling towards each other. Their wings had snapped back to their bodies like rubber bands, and were so tightly pressed against them that they would have been invisible if they were under a shirt. The moment Zachary had set them lose, their shackles had melted off into puddles on the ground, and with them went all my hope for their mutual safety.

Still, I had no idea what to do. I sat there, paralyzed and horrified, staring open mouthed at my two best friends. They'd collided and begun tearing at each other's skin, hair, wings—blood and feathers littered the ground beneath them as they rolled and tumbled and fought. Their hands were curled into talons, and their eyes were filled with blood lust the likes of which I'd never seen before.

"Fang, _get out from under him!_"

My shriek was (thankfully) lost in the primal, bird-like shrieks that echoed from the two struggling boys below. My words were true, however unheard they were—Fang was pinned to the ground with Trinity straddling his waist, landing punch after punch on Fang's arms, which were his only shield. Finally, Fang managed to throw Trin off of him and stumble back out of range. He took to the air immediately. Bloody feathers drifted to the ground as Trinity spread his scarlet-streaked wings, but he didn't seem to care. He crouched and leapt into the air, without even taking a hop-skip-and-jump to get airborne. The two boys swooped after each other, always just a feather's breadth away from colliding. With horror, I realized that everyone was looking up now—and I prayed that I'd been right in assuming that I couldn't be seen from the ground.

Fang did that strange twist of his, and for a moment he was hovering on his back just as if he'd been floating on water. He hung underneath Trin—and me, and for a moment his eyes, devoid of sanity, were locked with my horrified gaze; then his hands tangled in Trinity's and the spell was broken with a snap. The two angels grappled with each other like mating falcons, or angels fighting for Heaven and Hell—a dark Lucifer and bright Michael, falling out of Heaven even as they fought. Trin's white wings were flapping desperately, furiously against Fang, and in return Fang was spinning and twirling them around, trying to get a good hold on his opponent. Feathers, black and white, flew everywhere.

The boys were dropping at an alarming rate, and the ground was looking for all the world to be pathway through death to Hades—for one, if not both of the boys.

Just before they could crash, Trinity let go of Fang like a hawk hurling its prey to its death. He thrust Fang away from him with all the force he could muster, and shot up into the air in the same movement, using Fang like a springboard to propel himself in the opposite direction of the fall. Fortunately, Fang managed to flip open his wings and hurtled off, one wing tucked to his side as he fell towards the earth. He performed a complete corkscrew, hurtled parallel to the ground with his chest a mere six inches away from the dirt, and headed straight of a wall.

I bit my knuckles to keep from screaming, and my vision blurred from painful, frightened tears.

I need not have worried.

Fang turned at the last moment, flawlessly swirling around with his primaries sliding along the dirt to make patterns and kick up a swirl of dust. He gathered himself like a spring as his feet hit the wall, and then he kicked off to tackle Trinity in mid-air.

The two fell to earth with a thud and slid, kicking up even more dust and releasing more, louder, falcon-like screams of fury. And then Fang surfaced, with Trinity's arms pinned and his legs incapacitated. Fang leaned close, shielding them both with his huge, raven wings—the way a hawk mantles its prey.

For a few moments Trinity's screeching was the only sound in the entire Coliseum. Fang hung on for dear life, never letting go of Trin for a moment. And then the screeching began fading away, and then all was silent.

Fang finally jumped off and hurtled into the air, followed by Trin. They shot up toward me, bleeding and practically ripped to shreds—but they swooped around me, enticing me to come fly with them…to _escape._

They landed on either side of me on my rafter, one hand extended each. I took the offered hands, slick with blood, and together we toppled down as if in slow motion, as if in a dream. Our wings were pinned to our backs, our bodies angled aerodynamically. Murmurs rose up from the crowd of scientists and I heard Zachary shouting out orders; they were lost on me. Our wings snapped open in unison, and we streaked towards the door, through the Flyboys, and out into the hall. I saw, outside a window, Max and Iggy hovering. Iggy was holding a bomb, ready to detonate it.

One by one we crashed through the nearest window…and we were free!

Iggy threw the bomb right at the now gaping window, and then turned as fast as he could and zipped away. I numbly handed Max my cell phone and let her call Mason and Bella. After that, we flew in silence.

I didn't realize I was crying until we landed on the roof of Bella's car. Both of my boys wrapped their arms around me; Trinity pressed my face into his scarred chest, and Fang held me with such tenderness that it pulled more sobs out of my frame than stifled them. "Oh my God," I rasped, "I was so scared, Oh my God…"

They didn't seem to be able to speak: Fang was silent as ever, and Trinity seemed to be fighting tears.

We toppled off the van onto the grass as we parked. I was still sobbing uncontrollably. Angel and Kate ran over, pale and wide-eyed. Max came next, seemingly torn between who to comfort first—Fang or Trin? Mason and Bella watched solemnly from the cars. Gazzy and Nudge were hugging each other as they watched, unsure whether to attack us with hugs or to keep our distance.

KIX and Beth glomped us, of course.

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh." Beth could not stop repeating herself as she hugged all three of us. I saw the boys were wincing, but they silently patted her back.

KIX flitted around us. "Are you guys OK? What happened? Do you think we have first aid in the car?"

Mason came out at that, arms laden with said first aid. Apparently we did have it in the car.

I forced myself to swallow my tears and calm down.

He gestured for Trin to spread his wings, and began to treat him first. Beth released her grip on us for that, and Kate and Angel were able to situate themselves beside the boys. Kate closer to Trin and Ange closer to Fang. After a long, silent moment everyone crowded around, offering each other silent comfort. Max sat by me, for once in a lifetime.

"What happened?" she asked softly. I looked over at Trin and Fang.

They exchanged long glances, and Fang spoke first. He spoke carefully, like we were all made of glass and his words would shatter us. "They...pitted us against each other in the Coliseum. Apparently Trin and I are Alpha and Beta. Natural Selection..." he trailed off and cleared his throat. "We had a fight, and we escaped. Ana saw the whole thing."

Max's eyes widened considerably. "You guys did…_that_ to each other?"

Trin nodded. "Yeah... We did."

I shivered, and both of them reached out to me at the same time, they spoke in unison, and stared at each other afterwards. "It's alright, Ana."

Fang dropped his hand to my knee, and Trin's hand came to rest on my shoulder. I looked at them, taking in their individual wounds, their shared stoic faces, exhausted eyes. I then looked up at the sky. "You guys get some sleep in the car," I said. "Soon as you're done getting bandaged up. We'll get dinner for you… Mason, Bells, can you drive through the night?"

The two adults nodded. "Yeah."

KIX, Beth and Kate crammed themselves into the back seat of Mason's car, with Trinity and Fang in the middle row, and myself in shotgun. The boys were out like lights as soon as we'd given them a blanket and pillow each; I turned on the heat and watched as Trin pulled his legs up beneath him to get more comfortable in his sleep. Fang had leaned his head against the window and had covered himself with his blanket.

Both of my boys looked even more exhausted—and more alike—than ever in their sleep.

Beth, KIX and Kate looked at me. "Natural selection?" KIX whispered. "Are you freaking serious?"

"Yeah. That Zachary guy was there, he was the one that organized it… They injected the guys with…" I closed my eyes and tried to remember what Zach had said the chemical was. "With some sort of chemical that would 'unlock their true natures or more specifically, their attack and destroy instincts'."

"Oh man." Kate's face was ashen. "And you had to sit and watch it… Oh man, that must've been Hell."

I nodded and turned back to the windshield, sniffing deeply. _Yeah,_ I thought to myself. _ITEX is Hell._


	13. Chapter 12: Home is Where the Heart Is

_**A/N: **I apologize if you're allergic to A) ansgt, B) drama, C) priests, and in later chapters, D) mentions of aspects of religion, specifically Catholicism. Just lettin' you know. I also apologize for the long wait for this chapter, but here it is._

**Wing It**

* * *

When I woke up, I couldn't tell where we were, just that we were farther along on our way and had put some real good distance between us and ITEX. I was passing out the latest round of fast food as Mason looked for a place to stop so we could all rest; it was evening again, and night was falling fast.

We were going to be sleeping closer to the ground, and as close as possible to the cars so that it would be easier to just escape if the Fallen tracked us down again. Trinity and Fang weren't in the best shape to climb, but they absolutely refused to sleep in the cars again, so they stretched out on the ground underneath the nearest trees. I lay down close by, just in case they needed something. However, as I drifted off, I sleepily doubted that anything could wake me up.

I was wrong, of course.

I was on hyper alert, sitting up before my eyes were even open. Who could blame me? I'd spent my whole _life_ on hyper alert and we were in the middle of unfamiliar territory. Plus, the first sound I woke to was of my flock member crying out. I couldn't figure out what was thrashing at first. I'd never heard him do that before.

"_No! Leave me alone! Stop! Don't!"_

There was no menacing figure leaning over him; he was fighting either an invisible foe, or a nightmare. I started shaking him awake. "Trin! It's OK! Trinity!"

He sat up and stared around in blind confusion, his eyes glazed. I pushed his shoulders back, trying to keep him from hurting himself.

"Calm down, Trin. It's OK. Relax." How the others slept through this, I'll never know. They were probably faking.

I couldn't budge him as I tried to push him down; then he slowly lay back on his own. He covered his face in his hands, stifling his moans. "It's not OK. It's _never_ OK."

Frowning, I shifted how I was sitting. "It seems OK to me." I brushed his hair to the side, out of his face. Was it the stress that was doing this to him? Was it a nightmare about ITEX? I didn't think he normally had nightmares, but then again, he had just been through Hell again, maybe that'd triggered something dormant…?

"No. It's not." His arms had fallen to his sides and he was staring up at the sky now. I looked up too, pretending to be nonchalant.

"What's not? You can tell me, you know."

He was suddenly glaring at me with such ferocity I blinked. "Why are you worrying about me?" he snapped. I blinked again, and bit my lip.

"You know"--I looked at my hands--"just because I love him doesn't mean you're not my best friend anymore."

I heard him sigh, and when I glanced over at him he had somehow sit up without my noticing and was staring up at the stars again. "I know. It's just… I'm sorry…" He looked at the ground and his face darkened, thinking something to himself.

I leaned closer and brushed his hair out of the way again. "I'm still here. I'm always here, Trinity."

The look he gave me then could have melted any girl's heart. I put my hand on his shoulder and tilted his head up with my other hand. He closed his eyes, his eyebrows drawn together in what seemed like pain.

"Trin…"

For a moment I thought he wasn't going to answer me, and I wasn't sure what I was going to do if he did. "It's about…" He looked at me then, his face so full of emotion it took my breath away. "It's about the last days."

I had to ask. "Of what?"

"Of everything."

I leaned so close to him that my hair brushed his face. "Tell me 'everything'."

Abruptly there was a change and he sat up straighter, moving away from me. There was a flash of something in his eyes, and then he was the Trin I knew so well. "No." I frowned again. Did I like this Trin better than the other? Yes...and no.

"Yes."

"No."

"Trinity...."

"Ana." He gave me the Look. "No. You don't need to worry about it. Now just...just go cuddle with Fang."

He flinched.

I glared.

"Just because I like him doesn't mean I haven't stopped liking you! How many times do I have to _tell_ you? And if you can't bear to think of that argument—you're still my Flock member. You're still my best friend." I snatched his hand and tugged him back. "Let's start out with the nightmares. Have you always had them, or did they just start up…?"

"Always had them." He looked away doggedly. "I'm good at keeping them to myself, I don't usually sleep talk, or make noise, or whatever it was that woke you up."

"Obviously, since I didn't know you had them before now. What are they about?"

He looked at his pale hands, which were soft and calloused, and which shook in his lap. His voice was a whisper as he repeated, "The last days…"

"Of what?" I was getting tired of this…

"Of my life at ITEX."

"They weren't that bad," I murmured. "We were together through it all."

"Not _that _time," he said softly. "Before… I've never told you before, but I know you've guessed…"

"You were in ITEX, escaped, and then were captured again."

He nodded. "My…my father, the man with white wings, saved me. But before that, I was hardly more than a frightened animal. M huge wings wouldn't fit into the crates; I had a cell instead. A completely white room… It drove me insane.

"And there was—" He swallowed and clenched his fists. "They performed the most…most gruesome experiments… I had no clothes, no dignity. I wasn't human. Ana… I can't tell you all of it." His voice broke and he looked up at me with shining, terrible eyes: Eyes that had seen horrors unspeakable, eyes of a lost, weary soul that had seen too much for only eighteen years.

"They steal things. Life…the feeling of love…kindness, innocence—they steal it all! And they stole something priceless from me… Sable came this close to having the same thing taken away—that's why she told _me…_ But… God, I hate them. I can't find the strength to be like Sable, oh God, am I crying?"

He laughed shakily and flung his head back to gaze at the sky, tears beginning to streak down his face. "I'm rambling. Isn't that something? But, Lord, Ana… You don't know what it's like. When Dad found me, I was emaciated, naked, half-dead, and completely given over to instinct. He dropped me off with the priests and left to try and lead the Flyboys off. All that's happened to him, it's because of me. It's because of what I am. Dad was someone important, but I was even _more_ important! Look at what's happened because of who I am, because I'm _Alpha._ Fang… My parents… Everything's all my fault. And I'm so worthless as to have nightmares, and cry about how terrible _my_ life is." He sobbed raggedly and buried his face in his hands. "I don't understand how you can live with me," he choked out.

I pulled him into my arms and stroked his back, letting my fingertips trail lightly across the thin fabric between his wings. He shivered and sobbed again, coughing. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I love you so much."

I froze for a fraction of a second, then tipped his chin up and let our foreheads touch: his was sticky and hot, feverish. I cupped the side of his face, feeling his skin wet and slick under my touch. My other hand rested on his shoulder, because I was afraid that he'd fall onto me if I let him go—that's how weak he was, how completely drained of will.

"I'm being so selfish." His voice was ragged, raspy, but at the same time it was like satin to my ears. "You told me to bug off, and I can't force myself to listen." His eyes were closed, his face even more agonized than before; but there was something relieved about him, as if his new misery was freer than before, that with his confession a weight had been lifted from his soul. Tears poured down his face, dripping off of his delicate jaw, hot and salty.

"Trinity Flyte," I said softly. His head tilted to the side, leaning in to my hand. This brought him closer to me, and I could feel his cool, sweet breath on my lips. I wet them and tried to keep my own breathing steady.

"Trinity, I love you too. I'm sorry I've hurt you, I'm sorry. I love you."

He smiled. So tired, so beautiful…

"I think you're starting to get it now." I froze. Get what? Love? He hadn't corrected me this time. He leaned into me, resting on my shoulder, eyes closed. "Sleep, Ana."

The breeze blew, mixing with his breath and pulling at my jacket. I held him tighter in consequence. It was so peaceful. The smell of grass, rain, Trinity—the stars, again. I sighed and moved him back to his resting place, tucking him in like I'd used to tuck in Kate—before she decided she was too big for that sort of thing.

I looked up at the stars; my whole life seemed to revolve around stars. Oh Lord, what had I gotten myself into?

* * *

**Fang POV**

I'd woken to the sound of Trinity thrashing and crying out against a nightmare. I had been about to get up and go to him when I saw Ana crawl towards her flock mate and grip him by the shoulders, trying to wake him up. I decided to let them sort things out; after all, she probably knew how to deal with this sort of thing. I didn't.

I tried not to, but I couldn't help but listen to them as they spoke, couldn't help but tune myself to the rise and fall of Trinity's sometimes frantic, sometimes despairing voice. As he spoke of his experience in ITEX as a child, my heart clenched, as did my jaw. I sat up silently, feathers flattened and limbs trembling.

_Angel?_ I questioned, but was met with silence. Good. That meant she was asleep; and that probably meant that the others were oblivious to the scene unfolding before me as well. Good—

Trinity was pursuing a _really_ emo train of thought, and I sort of wanted to go over and slap him upside the head. How dare he be so—so…

"Trinity, I love you too."

Five words. In just five words, one breath, three heartbeats, she'd killed me. Before I knew what happened, the world was spinning and my face heated; my head clunked against the trunk of the tree I was leaning against, giving me physical pain instead of emotional agony to use as an explanation of the tears that sprang suddenly to my eyes.

I looked away as Ana pressed her silken lips against Trinity's, torn between feeling ecstatic, or feeling like someone had just turned me into splatter art. I looked up at the sky, focusing on the cool breeze against my forehead and cheekbones.

Could I blog about this? What if Trinity or Ana saw it? What if I _wanted_ Trinity to see it, but not Ana? Should I just talk to Trin? But how could I ask for advice from him, if he was now—officially—my rival?

I ran my hands over my face and stood, giving a huge, realistic yawn. "What's up, guys?" I asked sleepily, pretending as if I hadn't heard every word my friends, my girlfriend and my brother, exchanged.

"Nothing," Ana said quickly, before Trinity could open his mouth and attempt to croak out something. "Go back to sleep, Fang."

"I can't," I said. "I need to talk to Mason. I'll see you in a bit." I waved and moved off to where Mason was sleeping. I tapped on his shoulder twice, and he opened his eyes, tense. "Just me," I whispered.

"What's up, Fang?"

"Fly with me."

He blinked owlishly in the night but stood and followed me as I threw myself into the air, stretching my aching muscles and limbs, feeling my broken ribs burn as I inhaled and exhaled.

"You alright?" Mason asked.

"Yes and no."

"Girl problems?"

"You heard that too?"

Mason sighed. "Don't tell anyone, but yeah." His rounded wings gave a strong flap and he ascended to my level. "So, let me see if I've got this right. You love Ana, she thinks she loves you, but she also loves Trin. He loves her too. You and Trin are brotherly buddies and while you both want Ana, you want what's best for her; Trin seems to think that what's best for Ana is you, but he can't help loving her." Mason paused for breath.

"…That about sums up everything." I sighed and let my hands dangle down below me, the air moving in-between my fingers. "I was the one who told Trinity he needed to get his act together and tell Ana how he really felt. Ana's mad at me because when she said she loved me, I said that she needed to tell me the true meaning of love before she said it again…"

"And then when Trinity tried to tell her that one time over at Beth's, Ana told him what you told her." Mason nodded. "And let me just say, Trinity's loved her ever since he's known her. Sounds like you're pretty screwed, man."

I glared at him as if to say, _You're no help._

He sighed yet again. "Do you want to marry her?" he asked.

I blinked.

"Well? Do you?"

I tried to imagine it; Mrs. Fang Ride… Mrs. Nicholas Ride. I smiled to myself, a rare expression the muscles in my face told me. Nevertheless, I could see her in a beautiful white gown, her hair twirled up and a bouquet of red roses in her hands.

"Yes," I said to Mason.

"Then give it your all. I'll talk to Trinity, make sure he feels the same, though I'm sure he does. Just give him a few days to recover; these nightmares really turn him inside-out."

"Mhm," I murmured.

"Now, because of your set rules about the true meaning of love, you'll have to help our Santana out a bit. That, or you'll have to give in. But that's not an option."

"You're right, it isn't."

Mason smiled. "I'm getting good at reading you stubborn kids." He chuckled to himself. "Might I ask how you're going to do this?"

"I don't know," I said truthfully. "Maybe I'll blog about it."

He raised an eyebrow. "I question the wisdom in that," he remarked. "Be careful.

I nodded. "I will," I said shortly, and tucked my wings in to dive. As I landed back in my resting spot, I noticed Trinity and Ana sitting together against a tree trunk, talking softly, their arms resting on their knees as they looked up at the trees.

_I'll give Trinity four days,_ I promised myself, sitting down under a tall tree to watch my friends.

_Just four days… And then she's mine._

* * *

**Ana POV**

I woke up groggy the next morning. We were getting up early, to get in the van again and cover even more distance. With all this driving you'd think we'd be there by now, but it didn't feel like we were any closer. We could be though, I guess. I hadn't bothered to check any maps or bug Mason to tell us how much longer or where we were, and I wasn't planning on it. Mason and Bella knew the way. I trusted them to get us there. I yawned as I took my place inside the van again. Maybe I could get some sleep…

With a vehicle full of bird kids—what was I thinking?

"Why're we stopping?" I asked, craning my neck to see where we were; a gas station.

"Empty tank," Mason explained. "Why don't you guys go in the shop and get some snacks to hold you out until lunch?"

"Sure." I shrugged and clambered out, joining the others as we ran into the shop.

I counted heads, just to make sure, and noticed Mason taking Trin by the arm and saying something that looked like, 'Hey, I wanna talk real quick.' Or something like that…

Fang tapped me on the shoulder. "Dr. Pepper or Fanta?" he questioned, bringing my attention back to the shop.

"One guess." Even though I was smiling at him I was paying more attention to Trin and Mason. Was something wrong? What was going on?

Fang smirked. "Okay, Fanta it is."

"What? No way! Dr. Pepper rules!"

I turned to face him more completely, gaping at him. "How can you choose Fanta over Dr. Pepper?" I demanded.

"How can you choose Dr. Pepper over Fanta?" he countered.

"Easy, Dr. Pepper's a doctor, what's Fanta? Unemployed."

He didn't seem to know how to reply to that, so he shrugged. "We seem to be at an impasse," he observed.

I shrugged. "Maybe you could help Fanta earn money by helpiung him win a rat eating contest--Oh! Twinkies!"

He laughed at me and pulled me to his side with one arm, kissing my hair as I grabbed a package of Twinkies. I blushed, feeling suddenly incredibly guilty.

I couldn't think much on the matter. Within the next moment Gazzy and Iggy were knocking us over, getting whole armloads of Twinkies, and Max was getting onto them for being greedy. I used the distraction to glance out the window, searching for Trinity.

I met his eyes, finding them already trained on me. Mason was watching Trinity, a gentle, almost--almost _sad_ smile on his face. I didn't understand. I frowned at them, and Trinity looked away, saying something to Mason that I couldn't make out. Mason nodded and turned back to the gas pump; and Trinity climbed back into the car.

Fang placed his hand on my shoulder, breaking my concentration and bringing me back to the present. "Come on." We waited with the others in line, and we all left in a group. Mason looked up as the bell above the door told him we were coming out, and he met my eyes. I doubt I'm ever going to understand what he was trying to tell me. "Hey! Check it out!" Iggy was showing off his and Gazzy's haul. "They had a ton of twinkies!"

The others laughed, occupied; Bella jogged over and smiled at us. "We should be at our destination in just a few more hours," she announced happily.

Everyone cheered. "Soon, no more cramped cars!" someone crowed.

We took our seats again, eager this time from sugar and the promise of freedom from tiny cars. Just about everyone was chattering excitedly as we got into the cars again.

"Twinkies!"

"Dr. Pepper!"

"Do you think Dom will've eaten all the Pringles?"

I found myself crammed next to Angel, who was happily sucking on some sweet and sour squeeze. I tapped her hand, and she looked up at me curiously. "What's up, Ana?" she asked.

_Can you tell me what Mason and Trinity were talking about? _I asked.

She cocked her head to the side and thought for a moment. After a few seconds of pondering, she shook her head. "Nope."

I slouched in my seat, the window suddenly captivating. "Figures."

She shrugged. _It's their business. If you need to know they'll tell you. _"And I have a feeling it'll be in just a few hours," she added.

"That's what Bells said," Mason called back from the front of the car, and I connected the dots.

_So you think they might tell me when we get to Manhattan?_

Angel tossed her golden curls over her shoulder and took a sip of her soda. _Just a feeling._

I nodded, and took to looking out the window with actual interest. _Thanks._

Sure enough, in only a few hours we had broken through the impressive skyline of Manhattan and we were inside the city. It was raining slightly, and very gray out, but no one cared about that as they rolled down their windows and looked up at the towering skyscrapers around us. Nudge squealed. "I remember there!" she shouted, pointing at building after building.

Angel stuck her head out and waved like a movie star to people on the sidewalk who smiled at her cherubic, smiling face.

"So, Trin," Mason called. "Where are we going?"

"St. Michael's Catholic Church," he replied, and leaned forward. "Turn right, and go straight until I say left."

While Mason followed Trin's directions I watched all the buildings and people go by. Manhattan is about the most refreshing place in the world--for me anyway, I don't know about the others. But in my opinion it's great because it's almost like nothings out of place. We're almost normal.

Mason finally stopped the car and looked around. "This the place Trin?"

Trinity was silent, but he yanked open the car door and jumped out, and looked up at the tall forms of a trio of angels above us. "Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael," he murmured, his face quickly becoming splattered with sleet. Without another word--or bothering to wait for us--he took the stairs two at a time and only slowed once he passed through the doors.

I gathered everyone together and regarded them seriously. "OK, I don't know if any of you've ever been in a Catholic church before, but Trinity will yell at me if I don't tell you how to behave. You guys stay quiet, don't talk except in really, really quiet whispers. When inside, you bow whenever you cross in front of the tabernacle."

"What's—"

"Uhm, let me make it simpler. Bow when you pass in front of the altar. And don't touch anything! Alright, understand?"

Everyone nodded, and then I paused.

"Hey, where's Fang?"

* * *

**3****rd**** POV**

Fang slipped inside the church after Trinity and mimicked his friend's movements as he dipped his fingers in the holy water. Trinity went to the front row of pews and genuflected, crossed himself, then slid into the row on the right. Fang followed silently but went into the one right behind Trin.

From there, Fang didn't really know what to do, sitting there in silence. He supposed he was supposed to pray; but he wasn't sure how, or who to. He had a feeling that he could ask the blond in front of him, but there was something about the way Trinity looked at the golden box on the High Altar behind the simple marble slab, the box that bore the symbol of Alpha and Omega, with a P and an X encircled on the marble beneath _that; _the way Trinity looked at it made Fang feel like he were intruding upon a private conversation, seeing something intimate that he didn't have the right to look upon.

He looked down at his hands.

"Father Nikolai should be here soon," Trinity murmured, breaking the silence that seemed awkward only to Fang. "We're just in time for Confession."

"Trin—"

The doors opened behind them, admitting a mute crowd of teenage bird kids; Mason and Bella hung back, looking around at the bulletins posted right inside the doors.

Just then, a door to the side of the altar opened and in walked a priest dressed in a black cassock, his white collar showing brightly under his fair, square chin. He bowed to the golden box on the high altar, and then turned to face the knave, where he paused. His sea green eyes flew across the upturned faces of the young men, women, and children before him, brightening with understanding as they alighted on Trinity's face.

"Well, it's been a long while since so many have come to the Saturday evening Confessionals," he said in a deep voice, and smiled. "Welcome home."


	14. Chapter 13: Old Habits Die Hard

_**A/N: **Chapter 13:_

**Wing It**

* * *

We followed the surprisingly young priest out of the church and down a flight of stone steps that led to a rather large hall underneath the building. A plaque beside the heavy doors proclaimed that this was Fr. Cole Hall, and underneath that was a billboard that advertised "Coffee, Donuts and Fellowship" after Mass every Sunday, and pancake breakfasts sponsored by the Knights of Columbus; a.k.a., those guys in the funny feathered hats.

Trinity's priest friend turned to us, and I couldn't help but smile back at him; his face was kind and inviting, and his eyes sparkled with a friendly glow. "I'm afraid I can't stay with you at the moment," he said. "Nikolai is ill, so I'm taking over his hour of hearing Confessions. I'll send James down to look after you, and I'll be back in an hour, if you would be so patient." He turned to Trinity specifically, and his eyes crinkled at the corners as he gave my friend a laughing smile. "There's food in the kitchen," he said, and swept up the stairs again.

Trinity was beaming breathlessly around at the hall, and then he grabbed Angel's hand and began dragging her, Kate, Gazzy and KIX away with him to show them knocks and crannies and 'secret passages' he'd found as a kid. That left Max, Mason, Bella, Iggy, Nudge, Beth and I to stand around, completely at a loss for what to do.

"Well..." Beth looked around at our group.

"Uh...Anybody seen Fang?"

I turned around in a circle. "How does he do that?" I asked Max. She shrugged.

"Do what?" His sudden appearance made us all jump.

"Fang!"

"I was just checking out the angels up there," he said. "They're remarkably realistic. Their wings, I mean."

"Whatever." I rolled my eyes. "That's cool, but what now?"

Mason shrugged and pulled Bella off to walk around the hall, looking at the black and white photo displays up on the walls chronicling the history of the church and surrounding area. Nudge held up a hand. "We could play hand games?" she suggested.

I shook my head. "Nah, we've played enough of them in the car."

"I've got something you can do," Bella called. My head snapped up at the shaky tone in her voice. "Look at this picture, guys."

We swarmed around her, craning our necks and squinting to see the fuzzy black-and-white photograph. Bella pointed a delicate finger at a trio of figures grinning at the camera from in-between the angels on the roof; someone had snapped a picture from behind them, and they'd turned around just in time to get caught. "That looks like…"

"It is!"

"No way!"

I shook my head. "That's not him. Can't be; that's obviously Father Aleksey there, and he looks _our_ age. Unless Trin's immortal—which he's not—that has to be… You're right, it can't be!"

"But I assure you, it is," a new voice said, and we spun around to see another priest, thin but obviously fit and athletic. He seemed to be about the same age as Father Aleksey, but it was hard to tell because his cheery smile and well-structured face seemed so boyish. Even the way his hair fell across his brow made him seem younger than he was. The only way you could tell he was perhaps older than he appeared was the fact that his face had the beginning of lines that could only come with age.

"The three in the picture, other than the Archangels, are your friend Trinity's parents and Father Aleksey."

"But they can't be so old," I protested. "This is bad quality black-and-white, it has to be ancient!"

"I believe I'll let Aleksey explain that," the priest said seriously. "Now, I have been instructed to find a place to 'hang out' for all of you. I know of the perfect room; if you'll just follow me…"

"Excuse me, um—"

"James," the priest said.

"OK, Father James, but we have to wait for the others…" Just then, Kate, KIX, Angel and Gazzy came running back down the stairs. I blinked. "Hey, didn't you guys go _that _way…?"

"Yeah, but we came out upstairs, so we came back down _that_ way," Gazzy said as if that were an adequate explanation.

"What about Trin?" I asked.

"He said to go on without him," Angel replied. "He knows the way to the place we're going."

"But…" I sighed and shook my head. "Alright. Let's go."

* * *

**3****rd**** POV**

Trinity came out of the warm, wooden confessional with a feeling of elation in his heart. As he knelt down in front of the altar and turned adoring eyes up to the tabernacle, he felt energy he hadn't felt in a long, long time returning to his limbs. His lungs seemed unable to process what seemed like a sudden surge of fresh air, tinted with the scent of roses; his chest swelled with giddiness.

The priest-side door to the confessional opened, and Father Aleksey came out, smiling at the sight of Trinity kneeling at the altar rail. Trinity looked up and then stood, smiling as well. "I don't know what was wrong with me," he said breathlessly. "I've been such a jerk, so stupid… It's like I've been in a fog!"

"That's all I remember of my teenage years," Aleksey replied with a chuckle. "I trust you have a clearer grip on things now?"

Trinity nodded firmly. "I feel like… I feel like _me_." He shrugged helplessly. "That's the best I can describe it."

"Are you ready to face Ana now?" his priest friend asked.

He didn't hesitate: Trinity's smile faded into an expression of determination. "I'm ready for anything," he replied. "I just hope that she's ready, too."

* * *

**Ana POV**

"I'm going to _strangle_ you, Ana!" Sable roared. "Strangle, you hear!"

I cowered into a corner of the room, holding up my hands. Even though she wasn't there in person, her tone was just as effective as if she had stormed at me and stuck a threatening finger in my face. And the fact that it was a _video_ conference, and that she was giving me her Look didn't help either.

"Sable!" Beth pleaded. "Relax!"

"This is just like in _Eclipse,_" Max tried to begin, but Sable let out a breathless scream of, "URGH!" and put her head in her hands.

"You guys don't understand!" she moaned. "That was fiction! This is real life! All this _angst_ you guys are going through is all your _own_ faults, it's not natural!"

"I can't help it!" I protested. "My life just sucks, maybe it _is _like a bad story, but I can't help it!"

"It's that sort of attitude that makes it true!" Sable countered, and crossed her arms. Somewhere in the background, Dom screeched. "See, he agrees with me."

"How do _you_ know?" I asked. Dom appeared on the screen and hugged Sable, then looked at me and gave me an L for Loser. "You stink!" I snapped.

He shrugged and disappeared again. Sable turned around and said, "No. More. Pringles." Then she turned back to us and glared. "Seriously though, Ana. If you cared about Fang and Trin, you'd make up your mind and stop hurting them both. Now, if I'm reading your 'go by the books' attitude, Fang will probably have overheard you and Trin. And Trin knows that you're not going to break up with Fang right away, because you're Ana like that. You can't imagine, and neither can I just so you know, what those poor boys are going through. And you can stop it."

If it had been anyone else trying to guilt-trip me, it wouldn't have worked. But Sable, with her no-nonsense, killer Look, her slow, steady, 'I'll explain this slowly so it'll get through your thick skull' voice, and our general close relationship made the guilt-trip entirely successful.

I ran a hand through my hair and looked around at Max and Beth. I spared Max a longer glance than Beth, wondering what would happen to her if I chose Fang. Would Trin get over me and open himself to the famous Maximum Ride? What if I chose Trin? Would Fang go back to Max?

It made my head spin. I knew everything they were telling me, but I really was incapable of making a difference. What was I supposed to do? I shook my head. Honestly, I hated the idea of giving up either boy, but hurting them made it even worse. "Are you done lecturing my? I get the picture."

Sable's eyes told me she didn't believe me, but she shrugged. "Guess so."

"So, in other news..." Max began hesitantly.

"...Trin's parents are really, really old?" Beth shrugged. "What else is worth mentioning?"

There was a knock on the door, interrupting Sable's confused reply. "Come in," I called. Fang came in, followed by the rest of his and Max's flock, and the rest of mine; with the addition of Father Aleksey.

"Hey, guys!" Sable beamed at them, her previous confusion erased from her face. "Hey, Dom, come on—they're all here now."

Dom raced over, his brown-green eyes huge with excitement. He bounced up and down and waved frantically. "Skree!"

"Dom!" Kate squealed back. "Miss you so much!"

"Yeah man!" KIX was jumping up and down, just like Dom. "You've missed so much here, we got attacked, and Beth's here, and there's a picture of Trin's parents down in the hall, and everything's just wow!"

Trinity looked over at me, puzzled. "What picture?"

"There's this really old, grainy, black-and-white photo of the roof with the angels on it, except there are two extra winged people," I explained. "One of them looks _just _like you. And then the girl has wings too, and then the third person doesn't have wings, but it's him." I pointed at the priest.

Trinity looked over at Aleksey. "Since when has that been there?" he asked. "I don't think I've ever seen it before, from her description. Is it new?"

"It can't be _that_ new," Bella said from behind him. "It's black and white and has really bad quality."

Aleksey was watching us with some amusement. "Might I explain?" he asked loudly, trying to be heard over the babble that had just broken out. No one seemed to hear him, and when I tried to get them to calm down, it didn't work.

"Everyone needs to shut up so I can hear about Trin's parents!" Sable bellowed. She has a way with people.

"Thank you." Aleksey pulled out a wallet from one of his pockets and looked inside of it for a few seconds, then removed a small black-and-white photo. He handed it to Trin. "This is a copy of the picture in the hall. The original was destroyed; it was taken with a rather nice camera that had a very clear picture and vivid colors."

"So, you mean this one was doctored?"

"Yes. And we—your parents and I—hid it in the display in the hall about a year after you ran off on your own. It's part of something that your parents left for you that I was instructed to give you if your parents couldn't." Aleksey pocketed his wallet, but let Trinity pass the photo around.

Trinity looked up suddenly. "They can't," he said, rushing over to the laptop where Sable was craning her neck to see the photo that KIX was currently ogling. He logged in to his email and brought up the comment. "I got this message on our blog a while ago, and it led us here," he said over his shoulder to Aleksey. "I figure that it means that one, or both of my parents are in trouble."

"'Angels and owls roost among the roofs and alleys of Manhattan's blessed poor in spirit. With clipped wings, the angels fall like lightning from the sky. Their hearts and feathers ignite, but they freeze in the pits of Hell'." Aleksey gazed at the screen, brow furrowed with concentration.

Trinity continued. "We figured that the 'blessed' part was a reference to the Beatitudes, and somewhere called Manhattan was probably a good place to find my parents' old place, or maybe another clue—if not finding my parents in person. And then Sable tracked the commenter to Manhattan, New York, so I thought of you, and here we are."

Aleksey nodded to himself and narrowed his eyes at the original comment. "This sounds like your mother's work," he said eventually. "It sounds just like her."

"That's great, but what does it mean? Can you give us any clue on what to do next?" I crossed my arms, waiting. Fang grabbed my elbow.

"Slow down, Xena, warrior princess. Would it kill you to be patient for a moment?"

I sighed dramatically. Patience meant thinking. Thinking meant having to think about touchy subjects. Thinking about touchy subjects with a mind reader in the building is not funny. "Fine. Slowing down."

"I guess I should give you what they left for you," Aleksey said. "I think it just might help."

* * *

And that's how we ended up at a really big brick building with three floors and a very large window seat on each floor. The first floor window seat's window was made of stained glass, but the upper quarter of it was made of the regular stuff—and in the window was a gorilla.

While the rest of the gang giggled and pointed and whispered at the suit (it was too ratty to be a real ape), Aleksey went up the stairs and pressed the buzzer. Eventually, a voice called out from a speaker, "Hello? Ms. Pennyfeather?"

Nudge giggled. "Ms. Pennyfeather, that's such a weird name," she whispered to Angel, who covered her mouth with her hand.

"I have a very large package for you, Gabriel," Aleksey replied cryptically, and leaned back against the wall to wait.

I found myself standing next to Max. "You sure this is safe?" she asked under her breath.

"I trust Trinity," I whispered back, "and if he trusts these people, then I trust them too."

The inner door opened to reveal a _very_ handsome man, probably about thirty-one, who hurried to open the outer door for us. He seemed to have a bit of a time with the lock, because there was a creaking and groaning sound as he stood out of view. Eventually, the door was slowly opened to reveal the mysterious Gabriel.

"Inside," he commanded in a subdued voice. Once our large group had gone inside, with Aleksey in the lead, the door was carefully pushed closed and locked tightly with _five _heavy-duty locks. "Aleksey, take them upstairs to the pool room."

Aleksey lead us into the gorilla-suit room, which was carpeted in an exotic, but short and rough rug. To our left was a pair of large, ornately carved doors that were slightly open to reveal a large bed. There was a display of beautiful little porcelain figures and china plates in a glass case on the wall leading to the bedroom. On the opposite wall was set of old posters for Broadway musicals, and beneath them was a spiral stairwell leading into a deep, dark…darkness. Behind us was a small sitting room with two couches, the window seat, a cluttered desk in front of said seat, and a painting of a dark haired man in a tuxedo with a revolver in an elegant hand.

We were led up a very large stairway onto a wood floor. The lights there were warm and dim; to our left was a raised dais leading to a bathroom, a closet, and then yet another set of stairs (this time short and wooden) that descended into a large room with a pool table, three couches, a large coffee table, a long cushioned bench along the right wall, and the second-floor window seat, with the heavy curtains pulled back to reveal the plush cushions and obviously gloriously soft pillows.

To the right of the dais we were on was the dining room and kitchen. The floor looked creaky and worn, and there were the heads of nails sticking up—a sign of water damage. But the table was long, and there were enough seats for all of us and more. The kitchen looked pretty high-tech and beautiful, with a tile flooring.

At the far side of the dining room were many smaller, round tables underneath a long window that looked out into a garden positioned between this and the surrounding buildings; but we were the only ones with windows or doors to it.

"Aleksey, what is the meaning of this?" Gabriel's voice asked from behind us. "If this is what I think it is—where is my brother?"


	15. Filler: Monster

**_A/N: _**_This is mostly a filler chapter to progress Sable's story arc along to keep it up to date with the Flock's arc. Some angst and kissing for Sabes and Luce follows. Just so you know._

_This chapter is full of angst, mostly because (in the latter half of this chapter), Sable hasn't slept for about four days. And when you don't sleep for four days, things start falling apart._

_But you won't see this angst in other Sable/Luce chapters, because, well, unlike Ana... Sable doesn't tolerate it repeating over and over and over. This is the only chapter that's gonna be full of angst for Sable. The rest is all Zach's fault.  
_

**

* * *

3****rd**** POV - While the others are having their fun…**

As soon as Sable opened the door, she knew she should slam it back closed. However, she hesitated and then let him in; before closing the door, she looked around carefully, and was glad that she didn't see that sleek black car that seemed to be haunting her as of late. She locked the door behind her, and turned to see Luce inspecting an orange.

"Are these things good?" he asked skeptically.

"Is blood good?"

"Touché." Lucifer grinned at her with his trademark lop-sided smile. "Today's my free day, so I decided to come visit you. Has Zachary been bothering you?"

She stared at him in surprise. "No, not really…but I think he's been following me."

"He's making sure that you don't have any mutants here," Luce explained. "He was punished after he let the tiger-hybrid escape, so now he wants to make sure that you don't get anyone _new_ here. For both his sake, and yours." His ruby eyes glinted.

"Why would he care about me?" she scoffed.

"I have no idea." Luce turned to face her, and she was glad he was wearing a shirt this visit. "His form of ethics is all screwed, pardon my slang." She found herself stifling a laugh. "He told me that your God is dead. What did he mean by that?"

Sable blinked at him, and then paused. "It's a long, long story."

"I've got all day," he said. "Would you please tell me?"

She nodded hesitantly. "Go to my room. I'll be there in a moment." He nodded and walked down the hall, while she went into the living room and fetched her Bible.

By the time Sable's mouth had gone completely dry, and her voice was nothing more than a broken whisper, they'd gotten all the way through to King David's life. Luce was mesmerized with the stories contained within the tattered cover of Sable's Book, but he knew that Sable really couldn't continue reading. "How about some lunch for you?" he suggested.

She agreed, and he followed her out into the kitchen. He leaned against the counter as she looked through the fridge, his ruby eyes following her every move. She finally closed the fridge and emerged with a can of Coke in her hand.

"What's that?" he asked. "Do humans eat metal or something?"

She laughed at him. "No, this called a soda." She popped the top and held it out. "Wanna try?"

He took the freezing cold can and hesitantly held it up to his lips. Sable watched, mesmerized, as he frowned. Apparently, fangs and soda cans didn't go so well together; they clicked against the sides of the can, and the cold made him shiver. He took a gulp of soda and made the most disgusted face in the world; Sable burst out laughing. He glared at her. "How can you drink that?" he demanded, wiping his mouth on a sleeve.

She accepted the can and leaned back against the counter, examining the can and pondering over if he might be poisonous or not. _I mean, he's basically just a vampire with wings,_ she thought to herself. Well, if Bella wasn't poisoned after she ate the pizza Edward had bitten, then odds were Luce's poison—if he had any—was ineffective when ingested.

Sable took a gulp of her soda and then looked up at Luce. He was watching her curiously. "That's how I drink it," she said teasingly.

His lips twitched, and he moved so that he was standing in front of her. "Let me see that again." He snatched the Coke from her hands and sniffed it. "It smells weird."

"At least it isn't actually coke," she said. The comment went right over his head, and he peered into the can. "Can I have my soda back?"

"…No."

She looked up at him in amusement. "Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"No."

"Yes. Wait!" Luce frowned at her again, and she reached up for her can of soda. "You tricked me."

"Yes, yes I did. It's called Bugs Bunny-ing someone." She smiled and clasped her hands around the cold can. "Give it, Luce."

He didn't let go, but let her pull it close to her. His hips pressed against her as she jerked the can, and she felt her gut clench. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to ignore the sudden shaking in her limbs. Luce, in turn, felt the same strange reaction to their physical proximity; but he, unlike her, didn't know what it was. Coupled with the twisting in his gut and chest, he felt his throat burn with a sudden thirst for _his_ kind of drink.

He found his head bowing over her neck, sensed her breath hitch and her heart pound. The seductive scent of adrenaline in her veins brought his lips closer to her neck.

Her grip on the Coke slackened, one hand tangling in his shirt. She tried to push him away, but he didn't budge. She couldn't bring herself to fight harder, either; part of her actually wanted him closer. His lips brushed against her throat, and she swallowed hard, throwing her head back to look up at the ceiling and close her eyes tightly, waiting for whatever came next. In that moment, she was ready to die.

Luce's eyes snapped shut to block out the mesmerizing, milky skin. He fought the thirst in the back of his throat and released Sable, turning and placing his elbows on the counter, his head in his hands. He felt drained, as if it had taken all of his physical prowess to fight off his instincts.

Sable swayed dangerously and propped herself up against the nearest wall. She watched Luce carefully, and then dumped her still-full can of soda into the sink. Shakily, she sighed. "Careful," she said to him.

"Sorry," he agreed.

* * *

From then on, Luce visited Sable often on his free days. He had the Devil's luck; neither Dominic nor her family were ever there when he came—which was good, as it let her hide the fact that her attraction to Luce growing. He really was a sweet guy, genuinely wanting to do the right thing, even though he was surrounded by evil, forced to do it, and _they _were trying just as hard to get him on their side as she was to get him on hers. He admitted to loving Zachary as a brother—after all, he'd saved him from dying in a closet and had given him a new lease on life—but he also knew that Zachary was extremely twisted. He didn't know what to do, and looked to Sable for help; for which she was glad.

There was also, of course, his freaking good looks. Lucifer, much like his namesake, was beautiful. He was the only of the Fallen with fair hair, he'd told Sable, and his hairstyle (the almost gravity-defying bangs of his) was unique and natural.

They took turns reading aloud, and when it was his turn to read Sable lay on her stomach and watched him intently. He was pale, and his body was long and he held himself elegantly, with a sort of superior air that was totally unintentional. His lashes and his eyebrows were dark, in contrast with his golden hair. His eyes were bright ruby, and sometimes the slits that were his pupils enlarged to seem almost normal. And, even more rarely, he'd look at her through his lashes with an unreadable expression on his face—almost like a lazy cat watching its prey. Although she knew that he was dangerous, that she was walking a thin line, that she shouldn't like the predatory looks he gave her…she did.

He noticed how her body reacted whenever he looked at her, whenever he _accidentally_ brushed his hand across hers, whenever he _accidentally_ pressed close to her to reach a book on a high shelf. He found pleasure in making her squeal when he jumped down from the roof right in front of her to scare her. He also enjoyed the strange chills he got when he got close to her. And for some reason, he knew that he shouldn't.

He loved her personality, though; he watched her, sometimes, when he had a free day but knew he couldn't visit her openly. Luce watched as she hung out outside after school, singing to the birds. He watched as she dealt with her sisters, or chatted on the phone with a mutant friend who needed someone to talk to. She was surprisingly warm to everyone and something about her just glowed. Whenever she smiled, his mouth went dry and he felt as if he could walk on air. He felt addicted to her, just like the Grotesques were addicted to their shock therapy, just like the Fallen were addicted to blood.

Blood.

Whenever he was around her, whenever he did find himself close enough to smell her, feel her body heat, some sort of frenzy loomed at the back of his mind. He knew what it was. He hated it with such an intense loathing that at one point he almost threw himself into the Grotesque pen because of it. But he didn't. Luce knew, however, that if he ever gave in to the need for fresh human blood he _would_ kill himself…especially if he gave in around Sable.

With this in mind, he found a sort of masochistic pleasure around her. He only hoped that he could tame the beast inside of him before it tamed him.

* * *

Trinity's, Max's, and Mason and Bella's flocks had just shut off their end of the video conference to go follow Aleksey wherever he was taking them, so Dom and Sable split up; Dom to take a fly out towards the mountains, and Sable to investigate the thump she'd just heard in the attic. She wished that Dom had stayed there for a few moments, so that she didn't have to do this alone. But all the neighbors were gone for the weekend, and her family was out—and she was all alone with whatever was making the sound in the attic.

She crept towards the door in the ceiling and to her surprise she found it already pulled inside the opening, and the light up there was on. Luce's head appeared, grinning, and he reached down for her. She gazed at him dubiously, but reached out to accept his hands. He pulled her onto the floor and she let the door fall closed behind her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

He smiled at her mischievously. "Another free day," he explained. "Where else would I go?"

"Where did you go before you met me?"

"I don't want to go there." He sat down, and even that movement seemed slow and calculated. Sable watched and envied his elegance. He pulled his legs up underneath him, and she sat down in front of him.

"How'd you find the attic?"

"I like finding spaces like this. Air vents are fun, too, but at ITEX they aren't as nice as attics. Of course, I know what you're doing here." His eyes flashed. "The beds and blankets and things up here are obvious. But I won't tell Zachary, or anyone, don't fret."

She sighed. "Thanks. Dom's out right now… I told him about you, but it's probably a good idea that you don't figure out who he is, so that you can pretend not to know him if you ever are ordered to kill him."

Luce regarded her solemnly as he brushed his bangs out of his face. "That's a good idea." He paused. "Speaking of killing…" He unzipped his jacket and her eyes narrowed. "A Grotesque got into the Fallen quarters," he said as he saw the anger rising in her expression. "Nasty beasts."

She stood and walked over to the other side of the attic, rummaging around in the low rafters for something. She came back a few second later with a first aid kit. It banged on the floor as she set it down with a little more force than was necessary. "What are Grotesques like?" Her voice was icy and forced.

"They look even more nightmarish than that monster from _The Unborn._" Sable jumped, nearly dropping the wipe she was holding. Her hands were shaking, Luce noted. "Don't like horror movies?" She shook her head firmly. "Don't ever come to ITEX, then," he said darkly.

She bit her lip and knelt beside him. "This is going to—"

"Sting? I know. I'd rather it was these than the stuff they use at ITEX. Ugh, those _hurt._" Nevertheless, his fists clenched as she applied the wipe to his wounded chest. Something had raked a clawed down his chest, ripping his skin, and he had multiple bite marks on his arms. His neck was bruised as well but seemed to be healing quickly. His jeans, set low on his sculpted hips, revealed that his wounds extended further down his legs. "I already took care of what they did to my legs," he said through his teeth.

"Good." She blushed slightly, keeping her eyes on his chest; but that wasn't helping her either. His entire body appealed to her every sense…that was how it was designed.

Luce noticed this. He could smell the pheromones wafting off of her, and knew that she was interested in him. But he didn't know how he felt about that. Certainly, it was better than having one of the Fallen like him, or one of the scientists…but Sable? He felt something strong around her, but he didn't know what. He was afraid to mention it, but the last time he'd been there when they were watching movies, he had noted that part of what he felt was _lust._ And not just lust for her body, either…

He remembered the feeding frenzy that had started as the Grotesques wounded some of the Fallen earlier that day. His brothers and sisters had lunged at the Grotesques, using the instincts directed at the blood of their brethren to rip apart the beasts that were attacking. When the Grotesque began bleeding, the Fallen's frenzy had begun to mount, until all that was left of the Grotesque was an empty husk, and even its blood had been licked off the floor. Then the Fallen had turned to their injured comrades and begun licking their wounds, careful not to drain them of their blood, but also content to clean their wounds in that pleasurable way. Luce had been mildly disgusted, and had slipped out before they could turn to him.

Sable's hands were cold, and as they made accidental contact against his chest he shivered. Both of them tensed for a moment, with Sable moving on determinedly through her sudden swirling emotions. "These are pretty superficial," she said quietly. "You don't have much to worry about."

"That's good."

Sable picked up one of his arms to clean it, and without thinking he slipped his hand into hers and entwined their fingers. The sudden rush of blood to her face brought his eyes snapping to her, and she looked up at him with apparent surprise. He squeezed her hand and looked down at his lap.

For a few moments she debated what to do—having had no prior experience with a regular serious crush, let alone a superhuman, potentially dangerous one—then she went back to cleaning the bites on his arms, determined not to do anything but her job. "How's Zachary?"

"He's good. He's taking the day off to hang out with Lucy."

Sable glanced up. "Who's Lucy?"

Luce blinked. "She's the cutest little girl in the world. She's Zach's little sister, only six. She's the only thing that Zachary really cares about. It's almost funny the lengths he goes to to keep her unaware of his job."

"So Zach's actually got a soul? Who knew. You like Lucy?"

Luce nodded. "She's a sweetie."

Sable couldn't help but smile at the thought of Luce playing with a little kid. "OK, now I have to bandage you." She bit her lip and began looking for the bandages in the first aid kit. She began with his arms first, wrapping them tightly with the cloth. She hesitated when she came to bandage his chest. He moved his arms slightly, releasing her hand. Sable kept her eyes down as she wrapped the cloth around his thin waist, moving up carefully. "Too tight?" she asked as she realized he didn't seem to be breathing properly.

"No. It's fine." He watched her carefully as she fed the roll around his back into her other hand; the trade-off caused her hands to brush against the light layer of feathers on his back, inciting a new surge of the strange feelings in his gut. She was nearly finished, and placed a hand on his chest to keep the bandages from loosening while she tried to tie them off. Her hand against his skin was like fire against ice. He leaned his head back, trying not to focus too much on her touch…and he was failing miserably.

She finished with the bandages, but didn't move her hand away quite yet. Her hand was now at the base of his neck, lightly teasing his skin as he moved. He peered down at her through his lashes, captivating her in his hypnotic, almost serpentine gaze. His lips were slightly parted, and she could just barely glimpse his fangs. His thin face was even more angelic in the faint, dusky light of the attic. She was completely in love with him, _that_ she knew…but she didn't trust herself.

She tore her eyes and hand away and went to put the first aid kit away. "Let's go down to the bathroom," she suggested. "You need to clean up a bit."

He followed her as she walked over to the trap door, and he dropped through before her. She watched as his wings spread just a tiny bit to absorb the shock of the impact. His wings really were magnificent; not purple-black like Fang's (Ana had snapped a photo with Trin's phone and emailed it to her), and not a mere dark brown. They were black as pitch, seemingly made of pure shadow. They contrasted beautifully with his pale skin and his light hair.

"Afraid of heights?" he teased gently.

She shrugged and sat down on the edge of the hole in the floor (or ceiling, depending on how you looked at it) and let herself fall. He caught her around the waist before she reached the floor, and her face heated immediately. Luce's breath played across her brow, sending strands of her hair fluttering. Her eyes flickered to his lips, enticingly close…

_You're playing near the edge,_ he chided himself, and with a silent rumble in his chest released Sable and they walked down the hall in silence.

She made him sit on the edge of the bathtub as she rummaged around to find a cloth she could use that she wouldn't get in trouble for using to clean up blood. She opened a drawer and closed it, then another. Luce watched her studiously, slipping from the tub to the floor so that his wings had more room to move. He slid closer to her, watching the muscles slide under her fair skin as she moved, watching her hair fall from the loose braid to curtain her face.

She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, and her hands slipped while moving a package of razors. She swore and pressed her uninjured hand against the wound, trying to stop the bleeding with pressure. A few swollen beads of crimson rolled through her fingers and splattered on the floor.

His nostrils flared and his irises contracted. Luce was caught like a snake before its charmer. The sound of her heart, her breathing, was all he could hear—all he could see was her face; small, round, stubborn, and flushed lightly along her cheekbones… All he could smell was her blood.

He'd never had fresh human blood before. Only the chilled, strangely-tinted blood from donors—and even then it was only rarely. The scent of the warm, intoxicating wine of her life force cried out to him with a siren call, drying out his mouth while setting his throat ablaze with thirst. Luce's hands clenched on his jeans, his jaw locked in an effort not to move, not to breathe: He was in slight shock, but he knew that if he snapped out of it he would most likely kill her. He was aware of himself enough to remain motionless, transfixed; harmless.

Sable realized that as well and could see it in his eyes. She quickly flipped on the faucet and stuck her hand in the sink. Her blood mixed with the cool water, turning it pink as it swirled down the drain, bringing with it some force of the frenzy in Luce's head. She watched her guest warily as he closed his eyes and took a deep, slow breath. He exhaled, then inhaled again. "Vampire," Sable murmured.

His eyes slid open, but remained at half mast. He watched her warily through dark, desperate, hungry eyes. "More dangerous than a vampire."

She pulled her hand out of the water, seeing as it had washed clean and wasn't bleeding anymore. She went to dry it off, but Luce caught her wrist with his delicate, but unbreakable grasp. Sable tensed, but Luce didn't do anything other than place her hand on his neck and lean in to her touch. "What are you doing?" she asked hesitantly.

"I'm trying to calm down." Indeed, she could feel his racing pulse under her hand. Water was sliding down his neck now, like water over stone. His throat fluttered and he threw his head back, his expression pained. "It's not working."

"Have you ever—"

"No!" He shuddered and pressed himself back against the wall of the bathroom. His feet began sliding on the floor from pushing himself back so hard. "Don't talk about it, please, Sable!"

"Alright." She knelt down in front of him so that she didn't have to bend over so he could keep her hand against his neck. She watched his chest rise and fall with each ragged breath, and watched as beads of water from her hand rolled down his marble skin. It was mesmerizing in a way… "Is it any better?" she asked.

"No." He swallowed again and then began breathing through his mouth. "It's getting worse!" Tears had begun to cling to his long lashes, and Sable bit her lip.

"Should I leave?"

"No!" His eyes flew open, and the fear in them surprised her. She didn't think of Luce as a person who _could_ be afraid—more of the strong, laugh-in-the-face-of-death kind of guy. "Don't leave me!" His voice was desperate, and he clung to her wrist even harder.

She moved closer to him and pulled him against her shoulder; he let go of her wrist as she wrapped her arms around his back, running her fingers up and down the patch of downy feathers between his wings. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end, and shivers ran down his spine; they were pleasant, but at the same time they frightened him and made him feel strangely empty inside. Something in his gut twisted, and he stiffened for a few moments before forcing himself to relax, heart racing. He swallowed hard again, his chin resting on her shoulder.

Her head was bowed over his own shoulder, and from the angle they were at he could hear her heart beating louder than ever. Her warmth spread over him. Her chest pressed against him as she breathed, and he found himself matching his breathing with hers. Luce closed his eyes for a moment, trying to stop the sudden spinning in his head. Dizzy, his grip on Sable's waist slackened. His wings trembled.

Sable made a soft cooing noise that made him open his eyes. It was soothing to listen to her, but at the same time the sound thrilled to part of him—he didn't know what. He stared at his reflection in the mirror across from them, entranced by the sight of her holding him so tenderly. His own ruby eyes hypnotized him, and the bangs that framed his face added a nice touch. His jaw was thin and delicate, everything about him seemed to be made for beauty and art, that of an angel of light, not death. His black wings and scarlet eyes were the only thing that betrayed his true nature. He found it hard to imagine that this was the face of a _beast_ designed to kill efficiently… He looked down at his suddenly shaking hands, remember how fast he'd torn apart the simulated human—in under thirty seconds, he had ripped it to shreds.

Tears were streaming down his cheeks now, and he buried his face in Sable's neck without a thought. The moment his skin touched hers he knew he'd made a mistake; the thirst in his throat burned even more painfully, and he gasped for air. He licked his lips, trying to ease the buzzing in them, the thirst for contact with her skin. His tongue ran across his fangs, and his eyes squeezed tighter. His fingers dug into Sable's back, trying to fight with his thirst.

Sable had frozen in place when he'd first moved, and now she cradled him with such gentleness that it almost burned him. He found his mouth hanging open, his fangs grazing the bare skin of her neck—her skin had goose bumps all over, and her breathing had hitched. Her heart, on the other hand, was racing. It was intoxicating. She tangled her fingers in his hair and forcefully pulled his head away from her neck. He wasn't exactly fighting her, but she was having a Hell of a hard time keeping his head from going right back to her neck. She needed to get a better grip on his head, because her fingers were beginning to slip on his hair. "Crap," she muttered. "Luce, stop it, _now!_" she growled.

He sobbed, tears beginning to slip out from under his eyelids. It was obvious he couldn't control himself. Sable gritted her teeth, dug her fingers into his scalp, and with her newly freed right hand slapped him across the cheekbone.

Aaaaand it didn't work.

Next step: The Voice and The Look. She glared at him with her Evil Eye and opened her mouth to ask, "You need to gain control of yourself, or else I'll scream."

But she never made a sound.

Luce's mouth crashed against hers with all of his body weight behind it, pushing her into the floor, with her right hand pinned between them. Her left hand—her aching, bad hand--was all that was keeping him from crushing her head with the force of his kiss. That fact, coupled with the force with which Luce pinned her to the tiles, moved his lips against hers, there was no protecting herself at the moment.

Luce's teeth tore at her lips, but didn't break the delicate skin. What it did do was force her mouth open, painfully. She tried to pull his hair, but it didn't work. She couldn't even move her legs, because his knees were digging painfully into her calves, rendering her practically immobile.

She decided to save her energy and start fighting when he was about to do something more dangerous than just make out. At least he wasn't draining her at the moment.

And she really didn't mind him kissing her.

After a few long minutes of unresponsiveness, Luce's desperate, forceful kiss began to lose its edge, and then suddenly he pulled away and pressed his face into her collar, his shoulders shaking. She sighed and kept her arm between them, because now that he'd stopped crushing her she was ready to push him off before he could try it again.

"You alright?" she asked.

"You first," he whispered.

"Eh. I'm squished, my legs hurt, so do my arms, and now my mouth too. Other than that, I'm fine."

"I feel terrible," he admitted, and rolled off her. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

Sable pushed herself up carefully and crawled over to the shower, turning it on. "You are going to take a nice, warm shower," she said, "and then we'll talk."

"Sable—"

"Get in with your clothes on. I want to make sure you get wet. Don't worry about your bandages, they'll be fine. But you need the shower." She tugged on his arm. "Come on."

He groaned. "Sable, just go away."

"No."

He stood up, towering over her, and extended his wings. His red eyes narrowed at her, and he bared his teeth. "Sable, this is a monster. I am not a person you should hang out with, be nice to, or offer a shower."

"You are not a monster," she replied, and grabbed on to the nearest, sturdiest thing that was attached to the wall. "You can't pull me out of here," she warned. "I'll leave once you get in the shower. I promise."

"Sable!" He took her by the arm and pulled her up, but she sat down on the closed toilet as soon as he let go, glaring at him stubbornly.

"I'll think you're a really big, bad monster if you take a shower," she said.

"God, fine!" He shoved open the shower door and stepped inside. As soon as his second foot followed the rest of him into the shower, she leaped up and closed the door. "Holy crap, you insane girl, let me out of here!" he shouted.

She giggled. "Do you still feel like kissing me?"

"No, I feel like pulling your braid! This is _freezing!"_

"Good!" she shouted. "I'm freaking shaking like a leaf, so you can too! You need to control yourself, or else I'll give you something worse than a cold shower!"

"Sable—"

"Shut up! I'm not done yet!" She swiped at her face, trying to brush a stubborn wisp of hair out of her furious eyes.

"Sable—"

"I said I'm not done." This time, her voice was softer, shaking. She leaned back into the towel rack, covering her face with a pale hand. "You're my friend, Luce. When you go and _let _yourself become what you think you are, a monster, it breaks my heart. You're not a monster. I know that. Dom knows that, otherwise he wouldn't let me be here alone. Hell, I bet _Zach_ knows that. The only one who doesn't is you. Now, you don't have to love yourself all of a sudden, but just…just trust me, you're not a monster. You're my friend."

"Sable," he said gently. "Can I talk now?"

She nodded.

His forearm pressed against the glass of the shower door, and he rested his forehead on his arm. His ruby eyes looked at her carefully through wet bangs. "Sable… Want to know why I _know_ I'm a monster?" She shook her head. His lips twitched, and a breathy chuckle escaped his wet mouth. "Too bad, I'll tell you. The reason I know I'm a monster, why I shouldn't be near you ever, ever again, why you should let me leave and never come back; the reason is because even though I shouldn't be within a mile of you, I can't bear to be away from you."

She bit her lip, blushing. "Luce…"

"Your blood calls to me. The blood of every living thing does that, but yours, because you let me get so close to you, is so strong that I can taste it in the air, even from in here. I've matched my breathing to yours, even our heartbeats have been synchronized. I am a predator, _and you are my prey._ I am obsessed with you. I can't stop thinking about you when I go back to the facilities, and when I'm around you I want to pin you to the wall and make you scream for mercy. When I sleep, I dream about hunting you. Can't you see, I'm a monster?"

"That doesn't change anything. You can control yourself. You're doing it now."

He closed his eyes, shaking his head slightly. "I've been wanting to kiss you like that for a while… And now you're hurt. I can smell the blood pooling under your skin from the bruises that _I_ gave you. I can sense how much your body hurts. And I can hear in your voice, and I can see it on your face, how much your heart hurts. _I_ did this to you. Sable, you're a beautiful person. You're kind, and totally _good_, and you're selfless. You are the angel to my demon. And I hurt you." He opened his eyes and watched her shake her head. "I hurt you, and I'll do it again."

"No, you won't."

"Yes, I will. Sable, I'm no fortune teller, but even I can see many more cold showers in my future." He sighed. "Sable, I want you to tell me truthfully. Would you be more hurt if I kissed you again, or if I bit you next time?"

She sighed and looked away. "Truthfully. This is embarrassing."

"You'd be more hurt if I bit you."

"If you kissed me like you did before, I'd be more hurt than if you bit me."

Luce carefully slid open the shower door and stepped out onto the bath mat, his torso mostly dry; he'd turned the shower head to face the wall and dried himself off during the conversation. He cupped her cheek in his hand, regarding her seriously as he brushed her hair away from her face. His voice was low and somber as he asked,"What if I kissed you like this?"

She let him kiss her, her lips aching as his touched hers again; but she didn't fight. He pulled away after only a few seconds of the gentle kiss and pressed her head to his chest as she started to cry. He sighed. "Why are you crying?" he asked.

"I'm scared."

"Of me?"

"Of everything." She coughed into her arm and wiped her eyes desperately, trying to stop the tears. "Of you, because you hate yourself, and that puts me in danger. For you, because you hate yourself and you're tearing yourself up. For me, because you could kill me right now. Of ITEX, because if they ever find out about this..."

"They won't." He sighed and held her by her shoulders. "Look at me, Sable." She looked up at him, her eyes puffy and shining with more tears: If she had seen herself in the mirror, she'd hide her face and be embarassed. But Luce liked her this way; he wasn't feeling the urge to attack her at the moment. "If it would make you happier, I won't hate myself. I'll work on it. I promise."

"Can you control yourself, too?"

He closed his eyes, images from his dreams, from his predatory fantasies flickering behind his eyelids. He shuddered. _If I ever went through with that,_ he thought to himself, _I'd kill myself._ "Whether I can or can't is up for debate," he said finally. "But I _will._"

Sable rested her head against Luce's chest. "And what if ITEX finds out?"

"We're both as good as dead; but you have friends to protect you. You have places to go to hide. The only safe house we know about is yours."

"My family?"

"No use to us. We can't kill them, because that'd bring too much attention to ITEX. And you already made it clear that they can't be used against you."

"Stop saying 'we'."

He sighed. "At the moment, Sable, I'm still an ITEX slave."

"Only if you say you are."

"I do _not_ understand you." He shook his head disbelievingly. "What if it's _not_ my fault, Sable? What if I really do have no control over things?"

"If, if, if," she repeated mockingly. "You are only as bad as you think you are. But I _know_ that you're better than all that. _You_ just have to make up your damn mind and trust me." She poked him in the chest.

"Ow."

She giggled; it was high-pitched and slightly hysterical. "Sorry."

He frowned. "You're tired," he said accusingly.

"I haven't slept since… Today's Saturday… Since Wednesday night."

She didn't fight him as he swept her feet out from under her small body and pulled her into his arms. She slipped her arms around his neck and sighed. "The door's closed," she murmured. "You'll have to put me down."

"No I won't." He adjusted his hold on her, freeing his right arm so that he could force the door open. It groaned in protest, just like usual. "That's a good burglar alarm," he said.

"It's too loud," she groaned. "Hey! Don't go yet," she snapped as he set her down on her top bunk. He rolled his eyes and stood on the bottom bunk mattress, letting her keep her hold on his neck.

"I have to go soon, Sable. Zach will be wondering where I am."

"Screw Zach." She sniffed again as Luce reached down to the foot of the bed to grab the blankets and pull them up to her shoulders. "Luce…"

"Yes?"

"You're using contractions and stuff."

"Yeah."

"Why?" She looked up at him through sleepy lashes, mumbling through bruised lips. "You used to be so cute and formal."

"I can be cute and formal if you like that," he replied. "But the reason is, you're wearing off on me." He placed his cheek on the mattress, smiling at her.

"Really?"

"Really."

She smiled back at him and closed her eyes. "Luce?"

"Yeah?"

"I want you to say it real quick."

"Say what?"

"Repeat after me: 'I am not a monster'."

"You are not a monster."

"I said repeat, not rephrase."

"I am not a monster."

She shook her head. "Say it like you mean it, Luce."

He put a knee on the edge of the bottom bunk's headboard, pushing her backwards into her bed. She looked at him blankly. He brought his face closer to hers, so close that she could taste his breath in her mouth and feel the memory of his teeth on her lips. "I am not a monster," he breathed.

Then he leaned back and beamed at her. "I think it's working."

She laughed and sat back up, putting a hand on her heart. "Of course it's working. I'm always right."

"You're too good for me," he murmured. "Much too good." He took one of her hands and kissed it; her injured hand.

"The temptation?"

"Still there," he replied. "But controllable. Definitely controllable."

Sable smiled and lay back down, sliding an arm under her pillow. Her other hand clasped his under her chin. "If ITEX ever finds out about this, we're both as good as dead or worse," she said quietly.

"Somehow, I don't care… And we just talked about this." Luce squeezed her hand. "I don't want to hurt you, either. Sable, you have to promise that you'll defend yourself, or run away if I lose control again."

"I will, don't worry. But you can't become an Edward Cullen either, alright?"

He laughed slightly. "I promise."

"It's getting late," she said quietly. "Zach will be wondering where you are."

"Screw Zach." But Luce stood, releasing her—although reluctantly. She watched as he strode out of the room, disappearing into the hall. She heard the front door close behind him, and then the sound of his footsteps on the roof.

Then, he was gone.


	16. Chapter 14: TMI

"_Where is my brother, Aleksey?"_

Aleksey held up his hands in peace. "Relax, Gabriel, I don't know where you're brother is, that's what we're here to find out." He half turned to indicate us. "But you remember Trinity, these are his friends. Elisabeth gave them a clue."

Gabriel took a deep breath and passed his hands over his eyes. "Alright. Explain."

I cleared my throat. "Someone—Aleksey says it sounds like Elisabeth, left a weird message on our blog. That's the clue. It's something about 'Angels and owls'…" I glanced around at my flock for help, everybody knows my memory is far from photographic.

Trinity sighed. "'Angels and owls roost among the roofs and alleys of Manhattan's blessed poor in spirit. With clipped wings, the angels fall like lightning from the sky. Their hearts and feathers ignite, but they freeze in the pits of Hell'." Obviously, he'd memorized it during the million times he'd read it.

Gabriel didn't move, but I could see recognition behind his eyes. "That does sound like her," he murmured.

He was starting to annoy me with his 'I'll talk less then Fang and Ana combined' attitude. "Look. We get the Beatitude reference and that it has something to do with Manhattan, do you have any more info for us?"

He nodded, sending his blond curls into his face. "Clipped wings… That would mean that one or both of your parents, Trinity, are either captured or in hiding, unable to fly or use their wings. Angels falling like lightning is a link to the fall of Lucifer, which would mean—if linked to the rest of the clue—that one or both of them has done something they consider terrible, such as betraying the other, or even all of us…" He spun around and kicked the edge of a couch.

"But they'd never do that!" he muttered vehemently. "They wouldn't… No, they would." He ran a hand through his hair, fingers tugging at his scalp in frustration. "Their hearts ignite; obviously that means that they're feeling strong emotions about whatever caused them to 'fall'; and freezing in the pits of Hell… There's only one place that either of them ever spoke of as Hell, and that's ITEX."

"So that means that ITEX has them," Trinity finished, piecing it together slowly. "Maybe one of them was tortured for information, and that got the other captured?"

"Do you think we could help them?" I stepped forward.

"If we knew _where_—_which_ ITEX it was… If we knew that, then I could definitely say yes," Nikolai interjected.

Gabriel turned with such emotion on his face I'd never seen. "We _are_ going to get my brother and Elizabeth back, there is no 'think' about it!"

Aleksey was holding his hands up in peace again. "Gabriel! Of course it's not a thinking matter, but think! We don't know where they are or how they're doing and that affects how much the children can help!"

Everyone rounded on him at the same time, repeating, _"Children?"_ in icy tones. Mason and Bella grinned sheepishly from behind us.

He tried and failed to regain his composure. Opting instead to shake his head with a 'I can't believe I said that' face. Otherwise known as a look of full of chagrin--I think, but I like my way of putting it better. And, for the first time, we got to hear Gabriel's laugh.

It was a magical sound, like Angel's except—different. It was beautiful. Trin appeared startled by the noise; Fang, mesmerized. Nudge's chocolate skin pinkened and she looked at Max and I with wide eyes; Max herself was staring owlishly at Gabriel, who, although he had to be like, _ten_ years older than us, was suddenly really, really hot. Bella, Kate, Angel and I were the only ones who were seemingly unaffected.

Aleksey's eyebrows raised high upon his brow, a smile playing on his lips. "Why, Gabriel," he said in a mock-shocked voice. "I believe you just laughed!"

"So?" Gabriel smiled. "At least I'm not the one in hot water. Kids..."

Aleksey shook his head. "Moving on," he said.

"Chicken," Gabriel replied, but nodded. "I have something that may help you," he said to us. "I'll go get it—make yourselves at home." He disappeared back down the stairs.

I watched him leave, then drifted over to the window to look at the view. The others hung in a big group for a second, before drifting a little apart. I heard mutterings about the painting and how cool it was and the window seats being a good idea as Gabriel came back; the creaking stairs announcing his arrival.

He placed the silver briefcase on the pool table and twisted the lock until it clicked; he opened it and waved Trinity over. "Your parents always knew what they were risking, having children," he explained, "so they prepared this, just in case anything happened. That folder contains photographs of your parents, and all of their friends. This folder is full of stories about their lives, their adventures. This external hard drive has recordings, and two videos they wanted you to have. Underneath this layer of the case are little trinkets--medals, necklaces, your mother's favorite scarf, that sort of stuff."

Gabriel pulled a chain out from under his shirt and handed the key to Trin, saying, "Your father gave this to me the last day I saw him. It unlocks the third floor of the house. His part of the house. I don't know what's up there--he told me never to go up there without his permission, and I took him seriously. But that last day, he told me something else. 'Gabe, give this to my son when he comes looking for me', he said."

I looked up, turning away from the pretty view. Trin looked like he was shell shocked, so I walked up quietly beside him. "Do you think we should watch the videos first or go upstairs or…do you want to do everything by yourself, Trin?"

Trinity's breath hitched, and then he shook his head. "Could you and Fang...?" he asked softly. I looked at Fang who'd appeared at Trin's shoulder. We nodded.

"Thanks." I could feel everyone's eyes on our backs as we followed Gabriel up the stairs. I resisted the urge to grab either boys hand and crossed my arms. Bad mistake, the movement caused the dust on the stair well to rise and I sneezed. Fang snickered and Trin's lips twitched. At least I could be some amusement. Gabriel flipped on a light, smiling apologetically.

"Sorry, haven't felt the need to clean up here." He gestured ahead of us. "There's the door. Still got hold of the key Trinity?"

Trin nodded and walked forward, then struggled a bit with the key and the lock before he finally managed to force the door open. He stood in the doorway for a split second, hesitating—and then he plunged into the dusty room.

"What the hell happened here?" Fang summed up what was on Trinity and Gabriel's faces and in my gaping mouth. The room was trashed. Furniture had been broken and thrown into the walls, and there were footprints in the dust; prints of bare, human feet.

"This looks like… Like a giant bird," Trin murmured, his head hidden by another door. "There's a print in the dust on the floor in here, it looks like the print that Sable's parakeet left on the dusty TV screen when it smacked into it. There're the wings… God, those are huge wings!"

"There was a fight," Gabriel said, examining a streak of dried blood on a broken picture frame. "How did I miss this? How did I not hear it?"

"Maybe it happened while you were out?" I suggested.

"Possibly…"

I nodded. "Trin, maybe the videos…there might be a clue there."

He nodded, stepping around broken glass from a crippled lamp. "Yeah. Yeah…I'll go get that." He made for the door but Fang was already there.

"It's OK. I'll get them, you stay up here. Look for clues."

Trinity nodded and began picking his way back through what was left of the trashed hallway. "What could he have left for me?" he wondered aloud. "Maybe the fight was over whatever it was? Maybe the fight _was_ what he wanted me to find?"

I shrugged. "Like I said, maybe the videos will have a clue."

"Maybe." He sighed and waved for Gabriel to pay attention. "Where's the bedroom?" he asked.

"Follow me." Gabriel led us down the hall and paused in front of a door that had been ripped off its hinges. There was blood streaked across the wood, and blood on the floor underneath it. "Get behind me," he warned, and carefully pushed the door open, peering inside. When he decided it was safe, he leaned the door against the wall and led us inside.

"I think it's pretty clear what happened," I said finally.

"It's the message," Trinity whispered. "The comment."

Written in the dust on the blood spattered wall was indeed the clue that Trinity's mother had left us—along with another bit of cryptic information. "'The Fallen angels have attacked,'" I read, "'there is no turning back now.'"

"'Time to board the train to Hell,'" Trinity completed.

"Sometimes I really hate Elizabeth's riddles." Gabriel sighed in exasperation and stepped aside to let Fang inside. He set the suitcase on the bed, and then set his laptop down beside it. "Let's see what's in here," Gabe prodded.

"On it." Fang got out the first disk, and after messing with his laptop for a moment so it would play he stepped back to watch it with us.

Trin's mother stepped back from the screen, murmuring, _"Recording,"_ to her husband beside her.

"_You sure?"_ he asked.

"_Of course I'm sure!"_ She rolled her eyes and tossed her hair over her shoulder. _"Now, say 'Hi' to our kiddo."_

Angelus smiled right at Trinity, his cherubic face lighting up with the emotions that played through his eyes. _"Hey,"_ he said simply, but the expression on his face spoke volumes. Trinity's lips were pressed together so tightly that they were white and bloodless.

I couldn't help gasping. "And we thought you two looked alike before..."

"_If you're watching this, it means a bunch of things. It means that, first of all, something's happened to us both. We've probably been captured by ITEX again, or are being chased by them. And that's not surprising, since I just busted you out of ITEX about two hours ago, and ITEX doesn't give up so easily." _Angelus grinned wryly._ "If you're watching this, it also means that Nikolai and my brother, Gabriel, are still alive. Treat them right, kid. They're my best friends, my brothers. I want them to be that to you as well."_

"_If you're still watching this, it means that you've inherited your father's patience," _Trin's mom interjected, and it was her husband's turn to roll his eyes.

"_Elizabeth—"_

She turned to face him. _"Honestly, he's bound to know that by now. You're probably boring him."_

"_How about we ask him that later, alright?"_

"_Sure. When we're all in mortal peril again it'll be the perfect time to catch up!"_ Angelus grabbed her shoulders gently and turned her back around to face us.

"_You know what, if he watches this far, he'll have your sense of humor."_

Trinity's hands, clenching the bottom hem of his T-shirt, were shaking. So were his shoulders; whether it was laughter or fear, it was anybody's guess.

"_Alright. So, um." _Angelus coughed. _"After we finish this video, I'm off to attempt to rescue your brother, Nicholas," _he said. _"I don't know if I'll succeed at this one—no, I _will_. I have to. But in the event that something prevents me from getting out, I want you to be able to know who he is. He can't possibly remember me, or your mother—they took him the day after he was born, and I haven't seen him since. But I know he has black wings, and dark, dark eyes, and he'll have black hair. His skin is sort of darker than ours, because Lizzy's mother was Greek; and while the darker skin skipped Lizzy, it went to Nick."_

The video went all fuzzy, snow-in-Kansas, and there was a terrible screech that ripped through the deathly silence in the room, cutting Elizabeth off in the middle of her next sentence. I couldn't feel my face, but I knew that my jaw was somewhere hanging on the floor. Fang's face was white with shock, and he sat down on the floor heavily. Trin just stood there, unmoving, hardly breathing.

Before Gabriel had a chance to say anything, the video came back on and Elizabeth appeared, with blood on her face. She was older, and her hair had been chopped to rest just above her shoulders. She was wearing a stained lab coat.

"_Trinity,"_ she said urgently; her voice was garbled by the bad quality video. _"I'm sorry I had to overwrite the video of your father and I, I'm so sorry. But I have to. There's no time to get a new CD—they'll come back soon. The message I left on your friends' blog will have led you here, you'll have found the wreckage. Tell Gabe I'm sorry about the mess—but I have to warn you about ITEX's new experiments. They're called the Fallen, they're just like us, except stronger, deadly, and vampiric. And they're coming after you. You and Nick. Nick is Fang Ride. Fang Ride. Find him as soon as possible, and find Angel. She's—"_

Here, the video garbled her words again, and for a moment we lost picture. Then she came back on. _"The train to Hell—ITEX employees have a special subway train just for them that takes them to a secret, underground place not in Manhattan, but in Connecticut. It's a really long way, obviously, but it has stops along the way to pick up other employees. Your father has been captured and taken to that facility, it's all a holding unit, and it's underground too. His wings were damaged in a fire there two weeks ago today, that's September twentieth. The fire didn't do any damage, but he had to go be a stupid hero and try to get the scientists out of the fire, just in case. He's still there._

"_I've been working for ITEX, working from the inside, trying to get my family back together. But they're on to me. They've discovered who I am. They came after me—and they're going to come after you now, I—"_ She cut herself off, looking up at something behind the camera. "No!" she whispered, and the video ended there.

stood there in stunned silence, and then I whipped my head back and forth from looking at Trin and Fang and back again like a cartoon character. I raised my hands in defeat. "Ok…Meet the brother you never knew you had…Major soap opera material, now we need some guy in a coma and we're set."

Gabriel looked between the two boys in shock, and then leaped forward in time to catch Trin, whose legs had given way. I turned to Fang, then tried to put his shocked face over Trin's in my mind's eye.

"How the Hell didn't I see that before?" I thought aloud.

Fang ignored me and numbly went over to the laptop, going back to both Angelus and Elisabeth's faces and you could practically see the wheels turning in his head, comparing his face to theirs.

Trinity put his face in his hands. "Any idea where that Train to Hell is?" he asked.

"Huh?"

"Where's the Train to Hell?" Trinity repeated. "We need to find our parents."

Fang looked back, blinking away a far-away, shocked expression. He nodded grimly. "We need to find them _now._"

"Let me look over some maps," Gabriel murmured. "As soon as I know which one, we'll leave. For now, go back to your friends. You need a break."

Before the guys could argue, I grabbed their arms. "Please, guys," I pleaded. "You look exhausted; and those window seats are really, really soft." I tugged on Fang. "Come on."

Trinity sighed and nodded. "Fang, you and I can go through the rest of the stuff downstairs."

Fang picked up the laptop and followed Trin without a word. I hung back with Gabriel and watched the brothers descend the stairs first. "Wow." I shook my head. "Just wow."

"Tell me about it," Gabe said. "How will the others take it?"

I shrugged. "Who knows?" I headed for the stairs, and turned around when he hesitated. "Are you going to stay up here?"

He nodded. "I'm going to find our maps and find that Train to Hell," he said. "I'll come down if I find anything."

"Ok." I nodded and followed the boys down the stairs. I swear everyone was watching us again, Nudge and the Gasman and Angel stopping right in the middle of a hand game to turn around and look at us expectantly. Angel's eyes went wide and her mouth popped open.

"No way!"

"What?" Nudge demanded. "This is totally no fair! Come on, you gotta tell me!"

Max looked up. "Is something wrong?"

"Trin, you look sick, are you alright?" KIX asked from across the room.

Kate looked at me, and then at Trin, and then at Fang. "Holy cow. Is this what I think it is?"

"Fang and Trin are getting married!" Iggy cried jokingly.

"Iggy!" we replied in exasperation.

Trin glared around at them, and they quieted down. "You guys have to promise to keep this serious," he said icily.

"Cross my heart and hope to die," KIX replied immediately. Everyone else murmured their agreement.

Fang took a deep breath. "Trin and I are…"

"Oh you _guys_ are making it such a deep, dark thing. It's not that bad. Trin and Fang are brothers." Angel glared at everyone as they gasped.

"Angel's right!" I snapped. "Can't you see, they're stressed out enough? You guys don't have to make it such a big bad thing, do you?"

"We're not making it such a big bad thing!" Max defended. "It's just…new. We'll handle it. How'd you figure that out?" She looked over at Trinity. He rolled his shoulders.

"My—Our parents." He glanced at Fang. "They left a video."

"And Dad's in trouble," Fang added. "Gabe's working on that at the moment…"

I nodded. "He's looking for maps so we can find the 'train to Hell'--it's some ITEX subway thing."

The others looked at each other. "We should probably take this one step at a time," Bella advised. "How about you tell us what else was in the video?"

I looked over at the boys then back at everyone else and took a deep breath. "They mentioned the Fallen, again, and the clue, and…" I scowled. "Angel. They mentioned you, but the words were all messed up, so we don't know what they said. Elizabeth also explained what happened to Angelus and what they've been up to—she got cut off."

"By what?" Beth asked. "Maybe the Fallen? Was she being chased? Do you think she's in trouble too?"

Trinity thought for a moment. "The figure in the dust… That wasn't Mom. In the video, the background was all orderly. It wasn't a mess like it was when we found it. So that means the fight happened after the video was stopped. And she was wearing a lab coat… The figure in the dust wasn't her. The figure in the dust looks like they lay there for a while, and then got up and walked out to the window, then took off. I remember there being two sets of footprints up there—bare feet, and then shoes. The figure in the dust had bare feet. If you piece it together, that'd mean that Mom knocked the attacker out, ran off by herself, and then the attacker woke up and left… So I don't know if she's in trouble now. But obviously, the priority is Dad."

Max nodded. "We leave as soon as we know where we're headed. Nobody get too comfortable."

The others murmured their agreements. Trinity ran a hand through his hair. "I need some air," he said. "You?" he asked Fang. Fang nodded. They looked at me, and then looked back at each other.

"I'll come too," I sighed, and looked at the others. "We'll be back soon," I promised. They nodded.

* * *

**Max POV**

A little while after Fang, Ana and Trinity left for a walk, the kids decided to watch a movie to take their minds off of things. Aleksey went to the kitchen and in short order we had popcorn.

Of course, then Gazzy had to throw popcorn at Iggy, who tossed some at Nudge, who tossed it right back at Iggy, who blocked it. It got everywhere, and some got stuck in Angel's hair, and she stood up, walked over to Gazzy, and dumped her bag over his head.

"Angel!" I jumped up. "You have to clean that up."

She looked at me carefully. "I'll clean up my share. But they have to clean up the stuff that they messed up. Right, Max?"

Something in her tone of voice irritated me. "No. You clean it all up."

She gaped at me. "What? That's not fair!" she protested.

I shook my head. "Life's not fair. Pick it up."

"Max!"

I gave her my Look. "Angel. Pick it up." She looked at me for a moment, pouting, with the strangest look in her eyes. Then, with a look of defiance all over her angel face she squared her shoulders.

"No."

I met her gaze and drew myself up. "Nudge, turn the TV off."

"Nudge, don't listen to her," Angel said immediately. "Max, why should I clean everything up? I made sure to keep my popcorn on Gazzy, and not in the carpet. Iggy and them are the ones who got it into the carpet, and in the sofa. Not me. I'll clean up the stuff that I spilled, but they should have to clean up the rest."

"Iggy, turn the TV off. _Now._"

Iggy set his jaw and crossed his arms. "Angel's right."

I gritted my teeth and grabbed the remote. "If you want something done right, do it yourself," I growled as I turned off the TV and spun around. "Gazzy, you go sit on the window seat. Nudge, you sit on the bench. Iggy, go sit on the table in the kitchen. Angel, clean up this mess."

They all stayed where they were and stared at me. Iggy clenched his fist. "No. Max, that isn't fair." Nudge, for once, was silent.

I grabbed Angel's arm. "You want them to clean up, fine. You and I are going to tal--"

"OW!" Angel ripped out of my grasp, tears in her eyes. "That hurt, Max!" she exclaimed.

I turned to face her, and her eyes widened. "Angel," I warned.

"Y-you're not her," she whispered shakily. "It's Max, but—you're not my Max!" Tears rushed to her eyes and she ran past me, up the steps and then down the stairs, sobbing.

"Hey!" Gazzy shouted. "What was that for, Max? What the heck is wrong with you?"

I turned to round on him but he didn't wait for my reply. He was already off and chasing after Angel. Iggy was glaring at me, and without a word he got up and followed after them. I stood there, and I could feel my eyes begin to prickle with stupid tears. "Let me guess, Nudge. You're going to go too?"

"No, Max," she said softly. "I'm going to stay here and help you."

I sniffed and let her hug me. "I'm sorry." I laughed shakily and plucked a piece of popcorn out of her hair. "It's just stupid...I don't... I'm sorry."

_You should be._

I nearly jumped out of my skin as the Voice entered my head. "The Voice?" Nudge mouthed. I nodded and put a hand to my forehead.

_You have great timing,_ I thought to the Voice.

The Voice ignored me, as usual. _You live with Angel, you should be able to withstand mental attacks. She wouldn't have been able to influence you if you hadn't let your guard down._

_You mean Angel was the one who was making me angry--on purpose? _I frowned.

_No,_ the Voice said patiently. _Max 2._

"How did she get in my head?!" Nudge looked at me like I'd lost it. I held up a finger and listened. _Hello....? Voice? Little help here, please._

_ITEX managed to open a telepathic link between you and your clone. She's influencing your emotions, trying to manipulate your flock from the inside. The goal is to destroy your bonds of friendship; they want you ripped apart, weakened, so that they can more easily hold you the next time they attempt at your capture._

_Great. How can I stop this?_

_You need to figure that out on your own, I can't help you here._

I sighed as the Voice stopped and hugged Nudge. "Wonderful."

"You've got it worked out?" she asked.

"Sort of. I just know that I need to apologize to Angel and Gazzy and Iggy big time."

Kate handed me her phone as she passed by. "We'll call you if they get back before you find them," she said over her shoulder.

"Thanks, Kate."

"You're welcome, now go!"

I ran outside and took off right outside the door, searching the clouds for them.

* * *

I found Gazzy and Iggy flying near a nearby skyscraper, and they didn't look at me but let me catch up. "Guys," I said quickly. "Please look at me." They grudgingly gave me a glance. "I'm sorry," I said. "I'm really, really, really sorry. It's not my fault, but I'm going to let you beat up on me if you want. I should have thought about it all and tried to cool down. I'm sorry. Please forgive me?"

I could see their lips twitch. "Maybe. Can we really beat you up?"

I smiled. "Yes."

Gazzy swooped to the side, giving me a thumbs up. "Yeah, we guess you're forgiven."

Iggy brushed his wing against mine. "Just cool down next time." He pointed to the east. "Angel took off that way, to Fang and Trinity."

I nodded. "Thanks guys."

"No problem, it was just stupid popcorn."

I swooped off in the direction Iggy had pointed, and finally spotted a familiar set of wings. "Ana!" I called. She looked up and waved. "Where are the others?"

"Trin invited them to go to Saturday night vigil with him," she said.

"And that means…"

"Church."

"Thanks. Are you going?"

She shook her head. "I'm not Catholic. Trin convinced Kate to get baptized and everything, but KIX and I... I know that I'm not sure... I dunno. I don't go."

I smiled in understanding. "Yeah, I know the feeling. Thanks again, I better get going."

"Yeah." She frowned. "Angel looked…You need to sort it out."

"Mhm." I waved and flew out of sight, using my speed. I was at the church quickly, folding in my wings and entering as quietly as possible. I shook off a bit of sleet from my jacket and shoes and peered in through the stained glass windows in the last set of doors that separated me from the rest of the congregation inside the warm church building. I _really_ didn't want to just barge in there in the middle of things and try to find Fang and them. That'd been really rude.

_Since when have you cared?_ someone's probably going to ask. Well, since Trinity said I needed to have a heart.

_Heart?_ they scoff. _Isn't that soul Jeb was talking about enough?_

Yeah. Well apparently you got have a heart. And manners. And that sort of stuff. Unfortunately, along with a heart came a self-conscious shyness that was kind of new to me. And I _really_ didn't want to just barge in there, as I said.

A cool breeze stirred my hair, and I looked up to see if someone had come in. But I was alone; no need to jump out of my skin. Again the breeze hit me, this time in the face, and I searched for its origin: A door to the right that stood ajar.

_Hey… Hadn't that just been closed?_

Well, maybe the breeze pushed it open. Who cares: It's a way in, and nobody could see me from the choir loft, I recalled. Yeah… That was probably a good idea.

I shimmied my way up the dark staircase, trying to avoid the creaking steps. The choir loft was dark and surprisingly warm, and filled with the echoing sound of the cantor's voice as they proclaimed,

"The Lord be with you."

"And also with you," the people replied.

"A reading from the Gospel of Mark…"

I leaned forward to see who the beautiful, deep, ringing voice belonged to. I was surprised to see Aleksey was the owner.

I sat down in a pew next to the railing, and rested my arms on the rail to watch him, forgetting that I was really looking for Trin, Fang and Angel—

I spotted a familiar mane of scarlet hair and realized that Kate was there, standing beside Trinity, hugging his arm. Fang was standing on Trinity's other side, with Angel in front of him, hugging her; everyone was looking at Aleksey attentively.

The reading escaped me completely. I simply wasn't listening. All I was paying attention to was my baby down in the front pew, and the sound of Aleksey's voice, but not his words. But when the people sat down and Aleksey closed the big book he was reading from, I shook myself out of my reverie and tried to keep focused. Hey, the man deserved to be listened to. I guess…

Aleksey proceeded to link the founding of the Church (discussing the different arguments of 'Protestants' against the papacy, and the Church) with the bible passages they'd read earlier in the service. And you know what?

He made sense.

Of course, those televangelists or whatever they were called on TV made sense too. But Aleksey tore down all their arguments that made sense, and showed me—it seemed like he was talking right at _me_ specifically—that they made sense because they were half-true. And a half truth is more convincing than an outright lie (tell me about it. They work like Hell). But the Catholic Church, he said, had the whole Truth, because while the Protestant church _protested_ against the Catholic Church, broke away, and then started morphing into the thousands of denominations we know today; and along the way, they'd left part of the Truth behind. And the Truth was Jesus, and He had established only one Church.

Aleksey'd gone on, but I couldn't remember the rest of it. What I remember was a lot of inner thoughts that I don't care to share, and then being in complete awe as Trinity, Kate, Angel and Fang knelt down in their pew and looked up at the round piece of white bread that Aleksey held up. The look in Angel's eyes, in everyone's eyes there…

I didn't understand. What was so important about bread and wine? Wasn't it just a symbol of the last supper? It wasn't like it was _that_ important…

I sat back as the people began to process out, wondering. _Hey, Voice?_

_Yes, Max?_

Oh, so he decided to answer me this time.

_Does your crazy knowledge extend to religion?_

_Yes._

_What's so important about the bread and wine? The televangelists said it was just a symbol. It's not important enough to move Kate to tears, if it's just a symbol…is it?_

_First of all, I believe you should ask your friends who are moved to tears just why they are crying. But since you've made up your mind not to, I'll answer. That isn't just a symbol; it is really Jesus Christ's Body and Blood, soul and divinity appearing before you. That is God, there.  
_

Normally, I'd be sorry I'd even asked. Well, I was still sorry I'd asked, but… Something, this time, made me think I should listen. Just so that I could know more, so I didn't sound like a dork when talking to Trinity. That was a good reason.

_Can you tell me some more?_ I asked the Voice.

_Of course, Max. I've been waiting for you to ask me that for a while._


	17. Chapter 15: Turmoil

_**A/N: **__This is an interlude chapter while I wait for Beth to get back online. Hope you like it._

* * *

**Trinity**

Fang hoisted Angel onto his shoulders as we stood in the bulletin room just inside the church doors, as Kate talked to Father Aleksey. I looked up at the bulletin board, examining the fliers. Maybe someday I'd stick around long enough to eat one of those famed pancakes…

"Trinity?"

"Yes, Father?"

Aleksey smiled apologetically. "I'm afraid I won't be able to spend time with you and your friends tonight. I have some business to take care of. If I don't see you before you leave on your rescue mission, I want to wish you good luck now."

I bowed my head, trying to sort through a wide range of emotions that swept across me. This man was like a father to me. I owed him so much. I didn't hear what he said as he put his hands over my head to bless me, his vestments fluttering about his legs. All I could seem to hear was a gentle voice in my memory, called up by the warmth and smell of the incense from Lents passed…

"_Shh… It'll be alright…"_

_A gentle pair of arms held my seven year old body, rocking me as the man waited for someone. It was warm in the church, and it smelled of stale incense and the gentle perfume of flowers—completely foreign to my nose, which had only ever smelled the inside of ITEX._

_My wings were pressed tightly against my back, shivering, shaking. It was all I could do to keep them from going limp and dragging on the ground. My hands shook, I couldn't feel my legs from the knee down, my teeth chattered: But slowly, the warmth of the room and the gentle embrace of the tall, white-winged man coaxed the fear and chill away._

_The man looked down at me, and his gentle amber eyes seemed sad. I reached up and held on to his neck, letting him adjust his hold on me. I felt safe in his arms. Despite my nakedness and my ingrained fear of close proximity with other humans, I didn't mind his touch on my bare legs, my back, the feathers under my wing. I felt so safe... I didn't know it at the time—too young, too shocked, too ignorant to have known—but I felt loved. I felt that I could surrender, could stop fighting, could be taken care of and not have to worry, not have to hear my screams echoing hoarsely in my ears, unanswered; now I had someone to hold me, just like this. Someone to love me.  
_

"_Everything will be alright," the man murmured in my ear, brushing a strand of my matted hair off of my forehead. He pressed a gentle kiss to my feverish cheek, and the rough stubble on his chin scratched against my skin. It was the most comforting thing in the world._

"_Everything will be alright, Trinity," he whispered._

And I believed him.

* * *

As we walked out of the church and debated whether to get a taxi or not, Max appeared just down the street. She waved to us as she caught up.

Angel took one look at her and then jumped at her waist, her face disappearing in Max's stomach. "I forgive you!" she cried. Max tucked Angel's head in her arms and smoothed back her hair. She smiled as they carried out their mental conversation.

I looked at Fang, not wanting to intrude. "How about I take Kate and Angel home in one cab?" I asked. "We can't all fit in one." He shrugged.

Angel glanced at me from under Max's hair. _Hoping he'll fall back in love with Max?_ she asked.

I didn't answer her, only arranged my face into as blank of an expression as I could muster. "That sounds fine," Max said.

_Score!_ Angel cheered in my head.

_You are one devious child,_ I told her, and turned back to Fang. "Alright, I'll see you back at Gabe's. You know the address?" He nodded. "You have money?" He nodded again. "M'kay." I took one of Angel's hands and one of Kate's and dragged them down the road a bit. "Angel, find us a taxi, would you, sweetie?"

"Already on it!"

Kate looked up at me. "I wonder if Fang'll actually fall for her?" she asked.

"I'm more concerned about _her_ falling for _him,_ actually," I replied. "Once Max sets her mind to something, there's no stopping her. If she wants Fang--who can stop her from getting what she wants?"

* * *

**Fang**

Max and I stood side-by-side on the curb, waving frantically when an open taxi drove past. "Maybe we should just walk," Max grumbled.

"Do you know how to get back?" I asked.

"Um. No… How about we steal someone's iPhone and use their taxi-cab-whistler app?"

"How do you know they have a taxi-whistler application?"

She looked at me carefully. "The more important question is why would anyone wave their iPhone around, whistling as if to proclaim, 'Hey, lookie here! I have a super expensive iPhone just waiting to be stolen! Here, boy!'"

I grinned at her and then waved back at a cab—and lo and behold, it pulled up at the curb. I held the door open for Max, and then followed her inside. I told the driver the address and buckled up.

"So," I said eloquently.

Max looked back from the window. "I'm curious," she said finally. "I heard about your and Ana's 'true-meaning-of-love' thing, and I'm wondering. Is it something mushy gooshy or what? It doesn't sound like you."

I shook my head. "It's not mushy."

"Oh. Yeah, I didn't think so."

"Then why'd you ask?"

She shrugged. "I'm wondering what it is. Google certainly didn't help."

"Phew, that's good." I leaned back in my seat.

Max raised an eyebrow. "Can you go all not-yourself and talk a lot and explain?"

I glanced at her. "I only don't talk a lot when there are other people to do the talking."

"How come when we're alone you don't talk a lot? Generally, I mean."

I shrugged. "No comment."

"Anyway, explain, please?"

I had a hard time resisting the urge to smack my head against the window. "Max," I said with a sigh, "it isn't that hard. Why don't you guess first?"

She looked down at her hands and started twiddling her thumbs. Gosh, Max, I thought to myself. What is wrong with the world? Is it really that hard to guess? Isn't it something ingrained in the heart of every human being? Aren't I mentally rambling a bit too much?

"I don't know," she grumbled. "I don't want to sound like a FangGirl."

"Just guess." I put a hand on her shoulder, and I knew she understood I wouldn't laugh at her if she sounded stupid.

"True meaning of love," she murmured, leaning against the window. "Sacrificing for your loved one. Doing everything you can to make them happy, keep them safe. Even if it hurts them, like telling Angel not to do something that she wants to do that I know'll end up being bad for her—tough love, selfless love… That's the heart of love."

I closed my eyes and tried to gain control of my racing pulse. Of course she knew it. Saint Max would know it, of all people. Give her some credit, Fang.

_Why hasn't Ana figured it out already?_ I thought to myself bitterly. _Do I really have to spell it out for her?  
_

"At least," Max was adding hastily, taking my silence for awkwardness, "that's the only kind of 'true meaning' thing I can think of that you'd accept. None of that gushy Google stuff.

"No, Max, you're right," I said as evenly as I could, and handed the money to the driver, opening the door. "You go inside, I'm going to take a walk," I said, and ran around the corner as fast as I could, ducking into the first store with open doors. I slowed down and inhaled the smell of old books, thanking God for having a bookstore right there, against all odds. Perfect place to get lost. Perfect place to clear my head. I climbed a set of wide stairs up to the second floor and lost myself in a maze of bookshelves, letting my thoughts get lost as well.

Ana. God, I loved that girl like Hell. And, supposedly, she loved me. Strike that, I knew that she did. She was selfless, and I knew she loved me in the gushy sense too. The feelings were mutual.

But then there was _Max._

She was bright, funny, and in spite of all the really big flaws she had—and she had some _major_ issues—I loved her too.

So far, I'd done a pretty good job at staying monogamous (big word meaning 'having only one partner'). I'd hardly spared Fax a thought since I'd decided to be serious with Ana. I hadn't even given a mental glance at the old daydreams I'd had about Max and I kissing and her _not_ flying away—just for once. I'd stopped thinking about whether or not I wanted to marry her, ever, whether I really wanted to try to hold on.

I started having those thoughts about Ana. When she was in my arms, or when we were flying beside each other, I couldn't stop smiling. The stoic, hurt Fang that I'd been when it had been just Max—that Fang was swept away with just one look at Ana. Just the other day, I'd had a dream where she was holding our _son_. I'd been so happy in the dream, as she let me hold the little toddler with tan skin and brown hair, with creamy wings fluttering about my face as he hugged me and laughed.

I'd been ridiculously upset when I woke up.

That was the gushy side of me, all you crazy girls who want a peek into my brain. A novelist at heart, always will I be.

But there was also that true love—the love that would never fade, that would last beyond all the romance, beyond all physical beauty.

Or would it? Could it survive the sudden tearing of my heart in two when Max looked at me with the nervous shame she had, afraid of sounding like a 'FangGirl'? Did I _really_ want to embrace the dream of Santana Ride, or, like Angel had told me…

Was Max really my soul mate?

* * *

I hate talking to myself. You'd think, after managing to talk myself into such a mess—after all, it was my own fault. I was the one who started being all angsty and Edward-Bella-Jacob triangle-y—I'd stop it and head straight back to the others, where I would continue pursuing Ana with all of my heart.

Yeah. You'd think that, wouldn't you?

Let me just tell you: While I knew many things, when it came to relationships I hit a rocky patch.

For an example of my vast knowledge, I knew it was a bad idea to walk off in New York all by myself, with no idea where to go or how to get back to a house that looked exactly like every other freaking building in the entire city. I knew it was a bad idea to have let Nudge post a picture of the flock on my blog as well, and I knew it was a bad idea to have let James Patterson write our stories in the first place.

I also knew that when a fangirl squees and shouts, "ZOMG it's _Fang!"_ it's a good idea to run for your life.

But nothing beats a fangirl stampede. Nothing can escape it: It was a daring feat to even attempt to escape, and attempt I did. However, three alleys, a quick fly, and a fire escape later I found myself cornered by not just that first fangirl, but _sixteen._ Sixteen to one is not a good match-up.

Especially when half of them are about thirteen years old.

"You guys can have my jacket if you stay ten feet away from me at all times," I hastened to say. Plead. Beg. Whatever floats your boat.

"Strip down. _Now,_" said an auburn haired girl, her right hand in her hoodie pocket, the other sweeping away her bangs from under her hood. I hurried to take off my jacket—although I regretted it, since it was cold and sleety—and the girls leapt at it, tearing the sleeves and hugging it to their faces.

"It smells so _good!"_ a girl about Angel's age raved.

"And while you're at it, you should probably sign these kids' hands before they die of suffocation," the first girl said.

"If I sign your hands, will you leave?" I asked the girls.

The younger ones nodded. "We promise!" a few of them chorused.

"Alright. One at a time." I patted my pockets, but my pen must've fallen out somewhere during the chase. "Pen?"

Immediately, a million pens were held out to me. I grabbed a random writing utensil and pointed to a girl. "Hand." She held out her hand and held perfectly still while I scribbled _Fang Ride_ on her skin. It turned out pretty legible. I repeated this with ten of the other girls, who waved and ran off, waving and squeeing to themselves. The remaining two girls—Auburn was one of them—were apparently twelve or thirteen, and seemed much calmer than the others.

"What do _you_ want?" I asked, and really hoped it wasn't something physical. These FangGirls sometimes…

"To help," Auburn explained simply.

"Has someone posted on the blog?" I asked. We'd agreed that it wasn't the best idea to attract a whole lot of attention to what we were doing, especially our battle plans regarding Trin's—_our_ parents. So how could the girls know we needed help?

"Nope," her companion said cheerily. "We're with the Family."

"That's Sable's organization thingy, right?"

"Yeah. And it's gotten a lot of popularity now that you guys have pointed the Family on your blog, so we're getting noticed by the public. Our parents actually let us come here, can you believe it!" Auburn took a calming breath. "Sable and Beth have already filled us in. We're supposed to help you bust your parents out of the Connecticut-based ITEX facility. And, just so you know, it's not actually ITEX. What we're looking for is GenenTech, which'll make it much easier to find the train."

"We've got back up coming as well," her friend added. "Spencer, his flock, and Jeb and Ella are coming as well."

"Jeb?" I sighed mentally. Max—who I really didn't want to deal with right now—was going to flip. Again. "Alright. Well… Anyone have any idea how to get back to Gabriel's house?"

Auburn's friend held out a GPS handheld. "This is Bobbette," she said. "Don't break her."

"_Turn right and continue for three minutes at one flap per twenty seconds,"_ the GPS said in a female voice.

I looked up at the girls. "Thanks. You guys going to follow on foot?"

"I'm going to meet Spence and Jeb at the Restaurant," Auburn's friend said. "And we'll catch up later."

"And I'm going to follow you on foot," said Auburn. "Gotta talk to Beth, y'know?"

"Alright…" I shrugged and sighed. "Auburn, watch out for any more fangirls for me," I said, and took a running start before jumping over their awed heads.

"Sure thing, Fang!" the girls called back, and then they split up as I came high above the rooftops.

* * *

**Ana POV**

When Fang got back, I could tell he'd had a run in with something nasty. "You alright?" I asked immediately, intercepting him on the steps.

"Well, let's just say that FangGirls are every bit as bad as the fanfictions make them out to be. Especially the ten year olds." He shuddered. "Luckily, I appeased them by signing their hands and letting them shred my jacket."

"I'm surprised you got off so lightly," I replied, and entwined our fingers. He glanced down at our joined hands and then shrugged at my words.

"Yeah, well I think the Family girls among them had something to do with that."

I blinked, following him up the remainder of the stairs. "Family girls?"

"Yeah. Some auburn chick and her friend said Sable and Beth called them. Auburn's is coming by soon, and the other'll follow after they meet up with some guy named Spencer, his pals, and Jeb."

"What!" Angel's voice shrieked. Fang and I looked at each other as her blond head appeared around the corner to the kitchen. "Jeb's coming?"

"That's what the girls I met said." Fang shrugged. "Right now I could care less, though. I just want some Z's."

"Go rest," I ordered him. "I'll take care of Emli and them."

He nodded and yawned hugely, then disappeared into the quiet and dark pool room. I turned to Angel. "What are you doing up?" I asked.

"Well, Max is asleep so I can stay up." She smiled cheekily.

I shook my head. "Is Beth in there?"

Angel nodded. "She's on her laptop." She let me past her and followed me to Beth, who was bent over her laptop behind a table by the window.

"Emli and Kali are on their way," I said.

Beth looked up. "Good," she said. "Look at this, Ana."

I looked over her shoulder to see the blog chatroom, 'Talk to the Resistance'. It was filled to the bursting. Sable was PM'ing Beth, something about kissing and a 'stupid Edwardistic idiot'. I raised my eyebrows at Beth and she grinned. "Sable's having issues with her love life. But that's not it." She pointed at a Yahoo!IM window, where Sable was typing.

**Sable: **_Luce came over today and said that he was leaving for New York with Zachary. I think something's up. ITEX has to know that something's going on regarding Angelus—the Fallen have only recently been deployed, so the one that attacked Elizabeth would probably have been sent about a week ago. Tell Trin that he needs to hurry, or they're risking Angelus being terminated, or there being an ambush._

**Sable:**_ Speaking of terminating—HALP ON THE MEEBO! HALP I CRY DESPERATELY! They all want proof, as if the pictures on Fang's blog weren't enough. They want to know that it's live, and not photoshopped._

Beth looked back at me. "I suggest doing a Ustream," she said. "Sable's really getting attacked."

I sighed. "Alright. Let's set up the video downstairs then."

Angel appeared at my shoulder. "Already set up!" she chirped.

I shrugged and waited for Beth to pick up her laptop. Then we followed Angel downstairs, where we sat down and waited for Beth to open an Ustream page for us. I pulled on my cheap earphones and tapped at our professional microphone, trying to make sure it was on right. I nodded and then unplugged the earphones.

**Beth: **_Hey, Meebo chatters! Everyone who keeps begging us for proof needs to go to Ustream now. We're live-streaming Ana and Angel. Answers to your questions—NOT FAX RELATED—will be available._

"And... Go! Say hello, Santana," Beth said.

I waved at the camera. "Hey guys. It's about ten-thirty here in Manhattan, so Gazzy, Nudge, Kate, KIX, and Iggy are all asleep upstairs, Fang was just attacked by fangirls and is recuperating, and Max is helping Gabriel try to find a clue to, um, something we can't tell you. Trin's…somewhere. Not sure. But anyway, Angel and I are here to get you to stop bashing my friend Sable.

"Beth will be monitoring the questions and writing them down in her notebook—they'll all be addressed in time. We'll probably be streaming for about an hour, and then I'm going to force Angel to get some sleep. But anyway, ask away."

I nodded at Beth. "First question."

"Wiiiiiiiingssssss," she said, quoting probably every single person in the chatroom.

Angel jumped up. "Me first!" She spun around in a circle and then stopped with her back to the camera, her wings beautifully displayed. She did some flaps, and then turned back around to give them another view. "Do they think they're real?" she asked Beth.

"They want to see your back," Beth said. "They think they're harnessed and fake and mechanical and stuff."

Angel pouted. "They're not. Hmph." She began reaching for her shirt.

"Um, Angel." I coughed. "Max'll kill me if we just let you take off your shirt with potential sexist pigs watching. How about you go change into your backless leotard and tutu?"

Angel nodded and ran off. "I'll get Celeste too!" she called.

I smiled and sat back down. "Sorry guys," I said. "But I'm afraid of Max's protective mommy tiger mode. You'd be too, if you knew how dangerous that girl is... Anyway, let's get some more questions while we wait for Angel."

--

**Questions can be sent in through reviews or PMs, but I think you should probably PM me, because (I believe) that for Q&A fics review-questions weren't allowed and PM ones were. Can't quite remember, but just to be on the safe side…**


	18. Chapter 16: Trainwreck

_**A/N:**__ This chapter is rated extremely high T++ infinity and beyond. I'm never writing like this again. And remind me not to write from 12:30 AM to 2:45 AM. ugh...  
_

* * *

It quickly became clear that I shouldn't have opened the questions.

"'What's Fana?'" Beth asked, a sly smile on her face. "Asks Madeline Cullen."

"I refuse to answer this question!"

"You have to!" Beth replied. "Or else _I_ will."

I glared at her. "I can't let Beth do that. She is evil. Anyway, um. So you know the terms Figgy, Fudge, and Fax? Of course you crazy people do. Combine Fang and Ana and you get Fana. Beth, Kate, and Nudge came up with it, and now KIX is using it too, and _Iggy_," I said his name with loathing, "had to go and post that 'Fana's now cannon, all you FangGirls'! I hate that devious little…"

"What's scarier: Flyboys or Erasers?" Beth asked, saving Iggy.

"I've never actually run into Erasers," I said. "Flyboys aren't that scary either. But the Fallen… Those guys are complicated."

"Like, fifty people ask, 'What're the Fallen'?"

I sighed. "The Fallen are part of a race called Daemons, created by this sicko Zachary Moore. He's a _real_ sicko. Like, ugh. But anyway, there are two subspecies of Daemons, the Fallen and the Grotesques. We haven't run into the latter yet, luckily. Those things are mindless, cannibalistic, hardly controllable, and look scarier than the old man monster from that movie _Unborn_.

"The Fallen are much prettier. We all agree on that one. They are all freaking tall, hot, vampiric, have fangs, red eyes, and have dark hair. Only one is blond. They have _flipping huge _wings. They're like…fallen angels; they're that beautiful, that deadly. They're pretty alright, actually, if you get past the entire they want to drink your blood and will do anything for their darling creator Zachary. And that's why I think they're scary. You never know if they'll attack you and rip you to pieces, or if they'll offer to go get you a Dr. Pepper from the ITEX vending machine."

"Changing the subject… Let's see…Does Fang sing/play guitar/would he play harmonica for them?"

"I don't know if he sings, he hums pretty well, don't know about the guitar but I can see it happening, and no, he's off catching some Z's."

"Are Max II, Omega, or any other of the flock's enemies in the books real?"

"Max II is real, as is Omega. Don't know about the so-called 'uber director' or Gozen or whoever that was. Just lettin' ya know, I didn't read book four. And I can't remember book five. I can hardly remember one and two… But I do know that the books aren't to be completely trusted! None of the flock has ever met their parents, except for Max. And Fang. Cough-cough."

"Where's Total? And Akila? And Magnolia?"

"They're with Dr. Martinez and Ella."

"Have you met Jeb? What's he like? Is he handsome?"

"Yes, I've met Jeb. I don't know why Max doesn't like him—he's a great guy. I mean, _all_ he did was work for ITEX for just a _little_ while. And I can totally understand that! He was trying to protect his children, who he loves beyond life. I would do it too; and you know how much we Ave-Ams hate ITEX. His college picture looked very cute. Now, he looks sort of like Viggo Mortensen with shorter hair and aged to look like an _average_ forty year old. And he's gaga over Dr. Martinez, who, before you ask, is awesome."

"Do you, or any of the Flock, like _Twilight?_"

"Book or movie?"

"Either. Both."

"The books, I can get into if I'm feeling up to a cheesy novel that'll make me feel good. Making fun of it's fun, too. Just ask Emli. But that doesn't mean I hate it, by the way. Movie STANK. Catherine Hardwicke can-_not_ do Maximum Ride. No way. No how. I'll die first! The others feel the same. Except, even though Fang knows what we're talking about, he's _so_ not into it. Max is obsessed. So is Nudge. And Angel. Kate, not so much."

"Amidst the roars of fighting fans, next question is, 'Are you the leader of your flock?'"

"No. That's Trin. We never held formal votes, and Trinity only takes _real_ charge when he has to, but he's the indisputable leader. Trin is like a father to Kate and KIX and Dom, and he's my strong, dependable, totally amazing guy. He's always there for me. I…" I trailed off, feeling a blush rising in my cheeks. Thank goodness the camera didn't pick up subtle things like that.

"Is Eggy cannon?"

"Well, _I'd_ say it is. You guys should've seen how sickening Ella and Iggy were..."

"Do any of Fang's previous crushes make you jealous?"

"Not really," I said truthfully. "That's all in the past now."

"What kind of wings do you have?"

"Part of my DNA is from a Barred Owl. But they're not quite the same." I stretched out a wing. "If I know Sable, she's just posted a link to two pics of said species of owl wings."

"She did, Ana."

"M'kay. Next."

"Trin's wings?"

"Whatever his parents' were. Snowy owl from his father, Eagle owl from his mom. So he's got very light, creamy wings with light brown stripes. And they're hecka huge."

"Is it true that Fang has bigger wings than everyone else in his flock? Does he really have the power to disappear? Tell us all about Fang!"

"Fang has huge wings, yes. They're just a bit smaller than Trin's. It's because of his genes. And they're not raven wings, by the way. That wouldn't make sense. Not at all. Can't explain. Fang has insane sneaking abilities. He's a bit more talkative than the book would have you think, but he's still pretty annoyingly vague. His excuse is he doesn't talk when other people can do the talking for him. He _is_ part Greek."

"How old are you older kids?"

"I'm something like seventeen, Trin's seventeen, leaning towards eighteen, Fang is the same age, Max is my age, Iggy's eighteen, Dom—my favorite little speedster—is sixteen, Kate is thirteen, KIX is twelve. Can't remember everyone else off the top of my head."

"Is Fang emo?"

"No. He may be a bit dark, reclusive, stoic, surprisingly deep, gentle, and down-to-earth, he may like Linkin Park and Three Days Grace and stuff—but so do we all. He's not emo, no. He doesn't write poetry either, I'm told. But he does like writing prose."

"Samples?"

"Haven't read any, sorry."

"Tamara dares you to go wake up Fang."

"This isn't Q&A, people!" I exclaimed. "That's against Doctor Martinez's rules! Don't think I haven't read your crazy fanfiction."

"I'm up. It's hard _not_ to wake up when you're roaring at the camerg..." grumbled a voice.

"Fang, go back to bed," I ordered.

He shook his head. "Can't sleep. Stupid allergies from the dust getting' me all congested and my stomach's messed or something." He flopped down on the sofa beside me and stared at the camera. "So there are thousands of FangGirls and Iggy-Occultists watching this, holding their breath, hoping that I don't order them to stop breathing so I can wipe out 92% of girls in the world. Huh."

"Yuppers."

"And we're keeping quiet on the entire adventure-so-far thing still, right?"

"Yeah."

"And it's… Some time past eleven. Whatever. It's a God-forsaken hour."

"Mhm. What's Angel doing up there?"

"Sleeping. I tucked her in."

Beth glanced at us amusedly. "Everyone in the chatroom just said some version of 'Awwww!'"

Fang closed his eyes and yawned hugely. "Keep to the questions," he managed to say, still sucking in huge lungfuls of air. "And nothing about our love lives."

"Why are you in New York?"

"Because we got a clue from an important person about important things."

"What are you most afraid of?"

Fang grimaced, and shuddered horribly. "Needles. When I was a kid, they took me out and started doing a lot of extra tests. There was this evil, sadistic person who looked a lot like a demented male Bellatrix Lestrange. Except instead of jabbing wands into people's ears, he stabbed _me_ with needles. But now I've built up immunities to a bunch of chemicals and poisons and stuff. And I've built up a really, really bad phobia of needles."

"'You-No-Poo' says, 'Wow. You really do talk a lot.' Three other people say something along the lines of you having a really nice voice, Fang, you should narrate stories, you sound so much better than the audiobook girl for Maximum Ride… And then a bunch of people said that you and Ana make a cute couple."

I blushed and was suddenly extremely aware of Fang's hand tangled in my hair. He smiled slightly. "Thanks," he said smoothly.

"Ana, does Max dislike you?"

"Well, at first we had a bit of a rocky start. Mr. Emo here had a brill idea that got me on the wrong side of her. And then, after a bit of PMS-ing and evilness, we got to be friends. So I don't know. She might dislike me. But she doesn't hate me anymore."

"Can we see Fang's wings? Pretty please with various toppings on top?"

"And, Fang," I said as he stood, "they'll want to see your back too. Just so they know it's not a set of high-tech harnessed wings or something, I guess."

He glanced at me. "Do you guys do this often?" he asked.

"Strip for a million girls who drool all over you? Not me." I beamed at him innocently.

"I sure hope no girls are drooling over you, Santana." He tugged at the hem of his shirt. "You sure Max won't kill me over this?"

"She better not," I heard Beth grumble. "Otherwise, she won't have someone to get married to."

"Oh shut up," I hissed at her. She smiled.

Fang had thrown on a way-too-big T-shirt over his wings, too tired to get one of his slitted ones. His wings pressed against the back of the shirt, as they weren't tightly clamped against his shoulders. It made him look a bit—no, _way_ too muscled, and just slightly like the Hunchback of Notre Dame's handsome cousin or something. As he reached up for the collar of his T-shirt, his wings dropped down and appeared underneath the hem, flexing a bit in their new freedom. I watched, mesmerized, as he tossed off his shirt without a care and looked over his shoulder.

"That good?" he questioned. "…Beth?"

"There's silence," she said disbelievingly. "Absolute silence."

If Fang could have done a facepalm correctly—which he couldn't—he looked like he would've. "Look, it's just my back. It's a freaking scratching post for every vile creature that ITEX can develop. If you think it's hot, you're insane and sadistic like that girl with the 'nine-tails."

I shuddered. "I couldn't read that fic."

"I stopped once the 'nine-tails got brought out." Fang shuddered and pulled his wings back to his shoulders as he turned and sat back down on the sofa. He rubbed his eyes.

"Anyway," Beth said, coming to our rescue. "Next question's from a bunch of people… It's the… Oh boy, it's the egg question."

I did a real live facepalm. _I _could do it right. "You guys are nasty!" I groaned. "Look. From what we know from some of our winged _adult_ friends, we have regular babies just like any other human. However, the main difference, pregnancy-wise, the development is super sped up. Don't know _how_ sped up, since the only people who could tell me the details are, well, either dead or on the run and we haven't managed to catch up with them."

"And before anyone asks, in the two cases I heard of, everything's exactly like regular pregnancies. Except, well, the kids have wings and tend to have the recessive genes—let's say both parents are winged, let's also say one is blond, one is dark haired. The kid would most likely end up with the blond hair, even though in a normal human it should have been the dominant gene of dark hair," Fang added. "But, also, there's a high chance of multiple children. Like twins. And in the only known case of that happening, one got dark hair and dark skin, and one got blond hair and fair skin. So really, it's complicated. Moving on." He rubbed his eyes again.

I looked at him carefully. "You look pale," I murmured so the microphone wouldn't pick it up.

"I haven't been feeling so good this evening."

"We should probably call it a night, guys," I said to the viewers. "I am absolutely wiped. And I really don't think I'm comfortable with you staring at my boyfriend."

Fang grinned at me from behind my back; I could see it in the Ustream window. "Sexist pig!" I snapped, and grabbed him by the arm. "Upstairs, _now_! March!"

He shook his head and walked. "Meh," Beth said. "Close enough." She closed the Ustream control panel. "You go back upstairs, I want to talk to Sable a bit."

"Alright. Night, Beth. Tell Sable I said night."

"Will-do."

I closed my eyes, letting the exhaustion wash over me like a tsunami. I was so tired… Fang intercepted me at the top of the stairs. "Angel wants us to go check the basement for monsters," he groaned.

I sighed. "Let's get it over with. I'm wiped." He agreed, so we set off down the stairs yet again. I waved to Beth. "If we don't come up soon, don't stress, just go to bed," I said. She nodded and closed the last of her equipment, then picked up her laptop.

"Night, guys," she called as she took the stairs two at a time.

I yawned hugely as I made my way down the narrow, twisting, carpeted stairs. I thought it would be easy to scare away the 'monsters'. Just turn on a light, say 'Boo!' and then go upstairs to a nice, comfy window seat. What I got was a pitch black, eerie hall. It wasn't too cold, though, which was good… But it was so dark… I shuddered and closed my eyes—there was no difference. Even though I was seventeen, I was afraid of this place.

I squealed as Fang stepped out from the darkness behind me, his arms encircling my waist. He flashed me a grin, the only bright thing in this darkness. "I like making you squeak."

I turned around and pushed him into the nearest wall. "I'll make you _scream,"_ I grumbled.

"Was that a threat?"

"Sure as heck it was."

"You're too chicken to follow through," he murmured, trying to get me started. I thought for a split second, considering my options. Either let him turn this into something where he could taunt me all the more…or gain the upper hand. Option B sounded a whole lot better to me.

I put my hands on either side of his head, framing him against the wall. "Wanna bet?" I asked, trying to mimic his 'Fang-the-Seductive' voice. His eyes widened just a fraction, hardly noticeable—except that I was inches away from his face. A soft, daring smile played upon his lips.

I leaned closer and pressed my lips to his, putting enough pressure into it that it felt like I was going to seriously kiss him. Just as his lips parted in response, I lightened my touch to a feather-like brush. He pulled me closer to him, using fists of my T-shirt to drag me to his chest. Not going to work, buddy. My elbows were locked, and there was no moving me. Not until _I_ wanted to move, at least.

I let my lips trail across his jaw, and he exhaled loudly through his nose. "Ana…"

"Yes, Fangling?"

"Fangling?"

"Fangling."

"I think we shouldn't—aghhh." He threw his back as my teeth lightly skimmed his throat; my hands slipped down to wrap around his waist. I tossed my wings up against the wall, protecting us from view.

"Shhh," I murmured. "Don't want Max to hear."

"Or Trinity," Fang agreed, and then disentangled a fist from my shirt to wrap his fingers in my hair, almost painfully. He pulled my head back up to eye-level. "Ana," he said quietly, and I thrilled to his voice saying my name. I pressed myself against him, so close that our noses touched, that I could taste his breath in my mouth. It tasted like really good toothpaste. Except better.

"Fang," I murmured, standing on my tiptoes, making sure to let my breath blow his hair back. Good thing _I'd_ brushed my teeth too. His eyes slipped shut, a look of gentle ecstasy on his face.

With that, I was out of ideas. Let's just say I'm not good at this dominant thing. I gave in and tilted my head to the right, and then it was straight on to dreamland.

Before I knew what was happening, Fang was kissing me more passionately than I could rate 'T' and I was leaning backwards, pulling my wings back in and throwing my arms around his neck. Then, my back hit the wall and I realized what had just occurred. My feet weren't quite touching the ground—whether that was because he was holding me that way, or I was floating from the adrenaline was up for debate.

He pulled away, smiling mockingly, his lips brushing against mine with just the slightest feather touch as he breathed, "Leave it to the professionals."

And then his lips crashed back into mine, his body and wings flattened against the wall, and darkness enshrouded us. My legs hooked around his back, as it was quite obvious he wasn't going to set me back on my feet anytime soon. His lips parted against mine, and I responded in part; but neither of us went so far as to change our nationality to French citizens.

When I felt the hand on my back touch the skin under the cusp of my wing, just along my ribs, it was like lightning went through me. I gasped wildly against his mouth and he groaned as I dug my fingers into his skull, and suddenly I found myself about six feet closer to the ground than before; Fang was on his knees, with me straddling his waist. He groaned as I moved, and the fingers previously stroking the down of my wing dug into my shoulder. I hissed through my teeth.

He let me press him into the floor, but didn't let me continue, as he rolled over and slipped the hand that had been in my hair down to my waist, where it disappeared under my shirt to touch the skin of my back. I moaned softly as his hips ground into mine. "Fang," I breathed urgently as his mouth went to my neck. His teeth skimmed across my skin and I couldn't help but shudder.

"Yes, Ana?" he purred in my ear.

I was too far immersed in primal euphoria to notice the strange edge to his voice, and in response to his rather rhetorical question my hand slipped up his bare back, stroking downy feathers as I felt my way up to the magic spot under where his wing would curve. As soon as my fingers even got close, his body tensed; at the same time, his fingers had followed the round of my ribs to get startlingly close to my front.

I expected him to freeze completely, like I had, and for the few split seconds that it took for me to pull my hand away and squirm a bit and say, "Fang, we need to stop, _now,_" he _did_ freeze. For a split second I sat there, panting slightly, trying to get my body's euphoric high back to ground level.

And then his right hand pinned my left arm to the floor above my head, and he put more pressure on my lips, ravaging my mouth, my jawline, my neck. "Fang," I hissed. "Stop!" Something was wrong. Normally he'd listen to me.

"No," he snarled. His teeth were suddenly ferocious, actually hurting—but still thrilling. His hips ground against mine, and it was hard not to let out a soft groan. His lips crashed back into mine, and I could feel his tongue against my lips again—and then in my mouth. This was going—_had gone_ way too far.

I bit down hard; I could taste blood, coppery, disgusting blood. I tore at the sensitive feathers on his back, and all that seemed to do was spurn him on. The hand that had been digging into my back had slipped down to my waist and was pushing my hips against his; and then his other arm went around my shoulders, freeing my arm. I struggled against him, struggled to move my legs, struggled to do anything. He was stronger than everything I'd ever fought against, stronger than even the Fallen—he was made out of marble, out of steel.

"Fang!" I pleaded. "You're frightening me!" I was sure that would have worked normally. But this wasn't normal—this was something insane. I whimpered as I felt his hands tugging at my jeans. No one'd hear me unless I screamed… Would _they _be able to get Fang back to normal? Would anyone? With his wings mantling me like a hawk would his prey, it seemed impossible to escape.

Suddenly, Fang was ripped off of me; his nails dug into my shoulder, dragging me with him, until I broke free and fell to the floor. I looked up at my savoir and found Fang pinned against the wall by Trinity. Fang's eyes were hidden by a milky red film, and the look on his face was terrible, horrible, and not his own. Trinity had Fang's arms pinned between Fang's back and the wall, but Fang's wings were free and jus as sure a weapon as talons, flapping furiously, hitting Trinity hard. I could see cuts on Trinity's impassive face already.

I jumped up to help, but my legs collapsed from underneath me and I sprawled out on the floor. Trinity didn't spare me a look as he elbowed Fang in the solar plexus. "Fang!" His voice was low, rough and primal, with a sharp edge to it—like Dominic's. It was a bird's voice. "Snap out of it, Beta!"

Fang gasped for breath as Trin elbowed him again, his wings going limp. Trinity dropped him to the floor, letting Fang fall to his hands and knees, coughing as sobs began to rack his frame. Trinity turned to me and scooped me into his strong, steady arms: I hadn't realized I was shaking.

"Ana," he said softly, giving me all of his attention. His voice and his arms were so gentle on my body, which suddenly ached like I'd been beaten with a crowbar. His breath, as he spoke, brushed against my aching face and neck. Suddenly, all I wanted to do was cry and pass out. "Are you alright?"

I shook my head. "Dunno," I whispered, and to my horror my voice was high-pitched, frightened, like a little girl's.

He closed his eyes for a split second, and then adjusted his hold on me so that his hands were clasped behind my back. "Can you control your legs?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Or my arms."

"I know," he replied, just as quietly, his voice slightly pained. "Alright. Ana, I know it's hard, but you'll have to walk for me. There's a bedroom behind that bookshelf, and a bathroom." He carefully set my feet down on the carpeted floor, and held my arm as I took my first steps on still-trembling legs. After a few steadier paces, Trinity released my hand and watched me carefully as I disappeared into the bathroom he'd mentioned.

I nearly collapsed as I closed the door, clenching all of my muscles and drawing my wings around me. I felt so _wrong, _so dirty, so not…_me…_

_Was this how Trinity felt?_ I wondered, and a sob escaped my throat.

* * *

**Trinity**

I knelt down beside Fang, who had covered his head and was choking on air. Fang's chest was fluttering; his lungs were spasming. He couldn't remember how to breathe, how to process the oxygen. I grabbed him by the collar and helped him sit up, leaned him against the wall, and then smoothed out one of his hands, which had been rigidly paralyzed, digging into his scalp. "Breathe with me, Fang," I said soothingly. "Calm down. You can fight it. Just breathe with me."

Fang held his breath for a few moments, trying to stop his body's shaking; and then let the captured air bursting out before inhaling with me. Together we exhaled, then inhaled. I nodded and brushed Fang's hair away from his forehead, which was hot and sticky. "Keep breathing," I urged. "You can do it."

Fang closed his eyes and massaged his forehead, exhaling again. "What happened?" he asked groggily.

"What can you remember?"

"Ana was driving me crazy, and then… And then…" His face twisted. "And then I just remember this red light, and then you were slamming your freaking elbow into my chest and I couldn't breathe. What happened?"

"Beta woke up." I sighed and rubbed his shoulder. "You went a bit… Hot and heavy on Ana." His head jerked up, horrified. "I stopped you before anything could happen," I reassured him. "I came in when you guys became French citizens."

"Crap," he groaned. "Crap, crap, crap…"

I figured that he'd want to know about Ana. "She's in the bathroom. She's fine. She'll be sore, and she'll be shaky. She'll cry, too. But she'll be fine." I ran my fingers through Fang's hair, down his neck, smoothing out the ruffled and bent feathers on his back. He winced as I touched his skin, which had nail-shaped scratches. I sighed. "It wasn't your fault," I said, anticipating that I was going to have to keep my eye on him so he wouldn't go throw himself off a building with his wings closed. "It was Beta's."

"I _am_ Beta, Trinity," he breathed. "It _was_ my fault. It was all my freaking fault."

"You are Fang Ride. You're my brother. You couldn't hurt Ana even if you wanted to. Beta is a mindless, soulless, instinct-driven experiment. That's not you." I gripped his arm tightly. "Believe me. I know." He buried his face in his knees, curling his wings around him. I pulled one away forcefully and shook him roughly. "Don't go Edward on me!" I snapped. "You have to pull yourself together. Ana will want to forgive you, she loves you. She'll understand; but she'll need you to be strong for her. Fang, _look at me!"_

He looked up, and I could see that his eyes were wet: But they were clear of whatever had been clouding them. I took my sleeve and scrubbed at around his eyelids, where the gunk—milky, red, and gooey—had been pushed to. "Let's skip the guilt tripping and try to find out how this happened," I said. "Either Beta can be unlocked by spikes in emotions, which I doubt, _or_ there could be after-effects of that serum they gave us in the Coliseum, _or_ they have an inside agent."

He shrugged. "No way we could know," he mumbled.

"Actually there is," I explained. "My buddy Spencer's upstairs and he has a laptop he stole from an ITEX person, and he can access their files. I bet if we just search for Alpha and Beta, we'll find what we're looking for. Can you walk?"

Fang stood silently and took three steps.

"Alright. Let's go up." I put an arm around his shoulder and nearly dragged him up the stairs.

Spencer looked up from where he was sitting with Jeb, Emli and Kaliyan. "Spence?"

"What's wrong?" Spencer asked.

"Long story short, something triggered Beta to come out and lose control. We need to figure out why; was it because Beta's unlocked by strong emotions, because of after-effects of whatever they injected us with, or what?"

Spencer pulled out his laptop. "On it."

"Fang, go into the bedroom there and lie down. Try to get some rest." I pushed him in the direction of the large doors, and then took Jeb by the sleeve and led him a few feet away so we could speak in relative privacy. I quickly explained what had happened, and Jeb's gaze became stormy with fatherly concern. "There's a couch in the bedroom there," I said. "Just make sure that Fang doesn't try to kill himself, and make sure he's breathing properly. Don't try to talk to him unless he talks to you."

Jeb nodded and followed Fang into the bedroom. I watched them for a moment, as Fang put his head under a pillow and drew his wings around him; but he was breathing, which was good. Then I turned back to the others. "I'll be downstairs. Call me if you find anything."

They nodded and didn't pry as I jumped the stairs and landed in the dark basement.

I was glad that I'd explored a bit down here earlier. I found a the cord to the bare light bulb in the ceiling and pulled it once, letting the dim light filter through the cool air. I picked my way through piles of books and pushed the sliding bookshelf open further to allow easier access to the guest bedroom. I could hear Ana sniffling and hiccuping just behind the closed door of the bathroom. I knocked lightly.

"Ana?" I called softly. "Let me in, please."

There was a shifting of clothes and wings as she moved, and I pushed open the door. I closed it behind me and looked down at her pitiful red eyes. She'd washed her face; the hair that framed her face was wet. She'd used her shirt to dry her eyes; it was soaked.

I knelt down across from her, but didn't try to get too close right away. I knew what it felt like. How your body was shaking, high from adrenaline and other chemicals, how your heart ached, how your legs hurt, how your gut twisted and your arms felt tight. How your hair felt like it was standing on end--how your skin felt contaminated, how it felt to be helpless, to feel like you had to fight, but not knowing who to trust anymore. Feeling unable to trust yourself, even.

I gazed at her sadly, taking in how she'd curled in on herself, making herself as small as possible. How the feathers of her wings were flattened out, and how she held her muscles so tight that her whole body shook. She was pale, and the reddish bruises on her arms, neck and lips stood out vividly. She met my gaze with terrified eyes, but sucked in a rattling breath and asked, "How's Fang?"

She really loved him, my brave little girl.

"Terrible," I said truthfully. "He can't remember what happened. Beta took over, and his instincts went wild. He's recovered his senses now, though. He's tearing himself apart, at the moment. He keeps thinking, _I'm a monster, I'm a monster._"

She muttered something like, "Stupid," and then cleared her throat. "How'd you know where we were?"

I kept my sad smile on my face, trying not to reveal how shaken up _I_ was. "When Beta came to the surface, I…sensed it. Something in my head turned on, like a radar. I knew that he was there, below my feet—and I knew something was wrong." I shook my head. "And now I can hear his thoughts. Not like, the words, but the… The general tune of it. He's wrecked." Ana looked down at the tile and sniffed. "Do you want me to hold you?" I asked softly.

She shuddered, but forced herself to nod. I didn't dare touch her until her muscles relaxed a bit, and racked my brain for memories of what my dad had done to calm me down; remembering, I crawled over to her and raised my wings, shielding her, letting my scent envelope her, acting on a protective instinct. She inhaled deeply and as she exhaled, her shoulders slumped. I took that as my cue and caught her in my arms, pulling her into my lap so that I could hug her tightly. She winced as I put pressure on her bruises, but then her arms went around my neck and she hid her head under my chin.

"Just stop fighting for a while, girl," I murmured, beginning to rock her gently. "Just surrender, just let me hold you, let me take care of you. Let someone love you… Just relax…" I could feel my shirt getting soaked as she cried into my chest. I pressed a kiss to her hair and rubbed in-between her wings, up and down her back. "Shhh… Just let it out…"

After what seemed like hours, she stopped crying. She shifted in my arms and looked up at me from where her cheek was pressed against my chest, which had been soaked with tears and mucus. And while that sounded gross—I didn't care.

"Is this what you felt like?" she whispered, her voice hardly even audible.

I nodded and placed my cheek on her hair. "It'll be alright," I promised her. "Trust me."

"I do," she sighed, tucking her hands under her chin. "I love you."

A few moments later and she was fast asleep.


	19. Chapter 17: Fever

_**A/N: **I would like to ask you to pray to St. Michael for our protection, please. The prayer is short:_

_St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil--May God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Hosts, by the Divine Power of God, cast into Hell Satan and all the wicked spirits who prowl about this world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen._

* * *

**Trinity**

We were on TV the next morning.

Fox had the best coverage, and they actually got the story right. Everyone else had some warped, "politically correct" version of what happened; but from the headlines on the Yahoo! homepage, everyone was picking up Fox.

They played clips of Angel and Fang with their wings out, and examined screen captures of their bodies, trying to find out just how in the freaking world was this possible. According to them, this sort of stuff was scientifically impossible. No human/animal crossbreed in (public) history had ever survived. The only explanations were A) we were fakes, or B) we were the real thing, and somehow there was a conspiracy among the government.

Mason and I examined the situation carefully. We hadn't _really_ meant to go out in public at the moment but now that it happened, there was nothing we could do but roll with it. We could, however, try not to be taken off-guard with things.

As we saw it, what would happen next would probably follow the lines of:

1. Denial

2. Other mutants, who were still in hiding, would come forward and offer themselves to news stations for interviews and examinations.

3. Once it was determined that we were the real deal, people would turn to the government, who would deny everything. Then, us mutants would step up and point out every place where it was happening, where taxpayer money was going in all these thousand-page stimulus bills that _no one_ read, and we'd insist on someone recognizing that ITEX was trying to kill us.

4. We'd say "Hey. You created us. The least you could do is give us a life, give us love, and stop trying to FREAKING KILL US!" (except in nicer words, so people'd actually get on our side)

5. PETA (or whoever it is nowadays) would go insane. All the environmentalists would go bonkers. The Church would condemn ITEX, obviously, as would various governments.

6. And then, eventually—slowly but surely—things would fall into place and we might just have a chance to be safe.

But we had to take it slow for now, try to draw out steps 2 and 3 before my father was terminated. And stalling wasn't something that we could afford to do ourselves, as it was—obviously—too time consuming.

So that's where the Family stepped in.

Fox finally took a phone call with "Lovina"—actually, Sable, under her Fanfiction Username and using a voice modifier for safety—about what was true and what wasn't about _Maximum Ride_, what were the organizations to look out for, how to help and how to stay out of the way. Beth joined her, under the alias of "Dreamz", also using a voice mod, and explained our current condition regarding who we were up against, with the Fallen, Grotesques, Zachary Moore, and everything—while keeping our current mission, the truth of Alpha and Beta, and of the current fact that Fang was deathly ill a secret.

At about two in the morning, everything went insane. Jeb noticed Fang choking on air and writhing as if he were having a seizure. He'd somehow gotten Fang to calm down and breathe, just in time for Fang to be able to make a beeline for the bathroom and puke in the nearest toilet.

I'd been upstairs, ordering Angel to control Ana and keep her in bed, despite all of Ana's pleadings (if she ever woke up), when suddenly I felt like I had been plunged into a fiery lake. Every surface of my body was on fire, my spine ached, my ribs felt like they were going to break from the inside out. I doubled over, clutching my stomach, and then in my mouth I tasted bile—but when I took another breath and swallowed, there was no acid in my throat.

Spencer ran upstairs, hissing something along the lines of, "Fang! Downstairs! ASAP!"

Immediately, I knew what was going on. I took two long leaps and then jumped and fell, face-first, down the last of the stairs, catching myself with a little flap of my wings before charging into the bathroom where Fang was heaving mucus and blood into the toilet, his eyes streaming, his throat dry and rasping in-between heaves. His wings were clamped tightly to his back, then opening, muscles tight and taught, as his body strained to get whatever it was out of his system.

Emli was holding his hair back away from his face, and Jeb was trying to wipe Fang's face with a moist, cool towel. I stared at them for a few seconds before ripping open the shower door and turning on the water to the coldest setting. "Emli, get me a bowl from upstairs," I ordered. "Spence, find anything? Jeb, take off his belt, it's suffocating him, go find ice." I stuck my other hand in the shower, testing its temperature, and then grabbed Fang and dragged him into the shower, putting his back as close against the cold tile as possible.

He groaned as the water hit his skin, but after a few moments his eyes fluttered shut and he tilted his head back, letting the water wash over him. I knelt down beside him as Spencer began talking as fast as he could, trying to tell me everything he'd found out.

"Apparently one of the girls whose hands Fang signed was actually an experiment loyal to ITEX, and she gave him a new kind of shot where you can't feel or notice it at all; it was supposed to be the same drug that unlocked your Alpha and Beta natures before. However, it was a weak dosage, due to the fact that she couldn't carry a larger syringe, and there wasn't enough of the pseudo-adrenaline to activate the chemical. I think that's why Fang was complaining of feeling sick earlier this evening, because the chemical mutates _by itself_, according to whoever's system it's in. And then when Fang was kissing Ana, a little bit the _real_ adrenaline set the chemical off, and that's when Beta was unleashed. But since it was real adrenaline, and not the special pseudo stuff that ITEX makes, it didn't work right. It unlocked his more…um… Yeah, it unlocked different instincts, then wore off after you shocked him out of it, and now his body's fighting itself trying to get the chemical out of his system."

I nodded and looked back at Fang as he squeezed my hand. I put a hand to his forehead, then on his chest, gauging his temperature. It was still too high, but not as hot as it had been—before, frankly, I'd been worried about him getting cooked from the inside out. Now, it was just like a very high fever.

Emli came back with a bowl and I snatched it, shoving it in Fang's lap. "Puke when you need to," I ordered him. "Don't hold it down, it'll be worse that way. Jeb—" he'd left the room while Spence was speaking, and had just come back, armed with a syringe with something inside of it. I shuddered involuntarily, and threw myself in front of Fang, keeping his view blocked.

"Jeb," I hissed. "Phobia of needles, _hello!"_

"He'll die if he doesn't get this in his system," he insisted. "The chemical may have thinned out by now, but it's mutated far enough that it'll come back again, and next time it'll kill him."

"No other way?" I asked. He shook his head. "Are you absolutely friggin' sure!"

I turned back to Fang. He was watching us with dull, but wary eyes, having heard our exchange and put two and two together, even though he still couldn't see Jeb. "You heard us," I murmured. "Can you do this?"

He shook his head. "I have to, though," he wheezed. He looked terrible. And we both trusted Jeb.

"Alright." I set the bowl aside for a moment and turned the shower head to face a different wall, quickly drying Fang's arms off so I could hold him still without slipping. "Jeb, hurry!" I snapped. I didn't like the thought of needles either… Fang gritted his teeth and shut his eyes tightly, his hands bawling into fists. I tightened my grip on his arms, pressing my knees onto his thighs so that he couldn't kick me off. I looked away as Jeb sank the needle into Fang's arm.

"Done!" Jeb scurried away and began speaking rapidly with Emli, who was hugging Spencer's shoulders—he looked like he might puke, too.

Fang spit out more mucus and a little bit more blood into the bowl, and then sprawled out on the floor, gasping for breath. I unhooked the shower head and held it beside his mouth so that he could rinse and then take a few gulps; then, with a wet smack, he pressed his forehead into the tile and covered his head with his hands, pulling at his hair.

His temperature went down quickly from there, I noted during the next thirteen minutes. "You gonna be alright?" I asked.

"I feel like I got hit with a sledgehammer," he groaned.

"You gonna die?"

He shook his head. I patted him on the back and then leaned back into the wall, letting the water continue to soak my shirt. "If I get hypothermia," I said, licking my wet, numb lips, "I'm blaming you."

When he hit me, I couldn't help but grin. "Yeah, you're fine," I proclaimed, and managed to find a laugh somewhere inside of me.

Then, Max had woken up, so I had to rush out—dripping wet—and explain to her what had happened, send her in to take care of Fang, while I went upstairs to talk to the little kids (Angel, Kate, KIX, and Gazzy, who had woken up by then), then to find Iggy, who was sitting in the kitchen with Ella, explain to _them_, and then go find Dr. Martinez, Mason, Bella, and Gabriel and collapse.

I finally managed to get dry, changed, and then relax on the couch with a nice hot cup of cocoa…when Fang, Ana, and Angel came on TV.

Mason and I did our little commentary, Gabe and I figured out our battle plan, and Bella cooked early breakfast for everyone else. Scrambled eggs and salsa at four in the morning, anyone?

Eventually, after who knows how many cartons of eggs, everyone but Fang and Max regrouped in the living room around me. We were all silent as we watched the news people moved onto dissecting all that "Lovina" and "Dreamz" had said, and whether or not to trust them.

Gabe approached me then, and leaned down to talk to me in a hushed voice. "I think we found the right subway," he said. "At least, we've narrowed it down to three. How about you and I go out and do a quick reconnaissance, just to narrow it down a bit further?" he suggested.

I nodded, pushing away from the couch. "Sure, let's go."

"Trin," Angel called as we passed her.

"Yeah, Ange?"

"You should take Ana with you," she said. "She needs to do something, or else she'll go crazy."

"Alright." I looked over at Ana and it didn't look like she'd heard us, she was just staring off into space. I walked over and shook her shoulder, making her jump. "Hey, Ana. Wanna come?" She looked at me for a long moment but nodded mutely and followed me and Gabe out the door to the roof. I let my wing brush against hers as we took off.

"He'll be fine."

She nodded, but there was something in her eyes that worried me.

* * *

Gabe finally landed in an alley and we put on our jackets again, and followed him down into the subway. It was loud and crowded, but I could see a few guys in lab coats every now and then—not enough to be suspicious for the public, but enough to get _me_ on high alert. I overheard one of them saying to a young woman, also in a lab coat, with a big label of "INTERN" on her nametag, that, "We board this train and get off at a the next stop, and that's the one we'll take to work."

Gabriel looked at Ana and I. "Let's go, then," he said, and we climbed back up the stairs and into the alley again, where we took off.

This time when we went down the steps, I saw more of the white lab coats—and even more regular people, so it still wouldn't be obvious to the public, but by now I was really getting nervous.

I stepped closer to Gabriel as to not get separated in the crowd. "Do you think this could be it? How many trains to ITEX could there be?"

He shrugged. "How lucky do you think we could be with our first guess?"

I opened my mouth to say something else, when I saw her.

Her black hair, insanely long and pulled back into a long, tight braid—swishing around like a sting-ray's tail, with the red streaks running through it… Her icy blue eyes, the number of piercings in her ear—everything about her was exactly the same, except aged ten years.

"Trin?" Ana poked my arm.

"That's her," I hissed through my teeth.

She followed my gaze and frowned. "She looks messed up."

"No freaking duh!"

Gabriel glanced at us. "You know, I think we should leave n—"

Someone shoved between Gabe and I, followed by an entire crowd of what seemed to be orchestra players. "Gabe!" I called, but I didn't hear his voice over the roar of the crowds.

I turned to try and find Ana, and saw her being swept towards the train. "Ana!" I lunged after her, forced myself in-between people, bags, and more people—and then came out next to an open door to an empty part of the train. I looked around for Ana, and then saw her a few feet away, stumbling through a few more people towards me.

I grabbed her arm so as not to lose her again, and was about to turn around to head back into the crowd and find Gabriel…when someone's tuba-case came swinging towards me on accident and I tripped, falling back inside the subway train. Ana landed on my chest, knocking the air out of my lungs, and I struggled to catch my breath, sitting up as quickly as possible. I wanted to get out of this train before the doors closed—

It was too late.

I stood in front of the doors, wanting them to open again. I tried pushing, prying, slipping my fingers between the doors, trying to open them—I tried everything until my fingers began bleeding, as Ana beat at the windows. Gabe appeared, his eyes sweeping the train's length frantically. "GABE!" I shouted. He pressed himself against one of our windows; its top sliver—about three inches of glass—was open. He handed me something small and clear.

"Tracking device," he said through the glass. "Put it under a feather, it blends in, untraceable by their scanners."

I was about to say something, and then stumbled as the train began to move. He ran after us, shouting something that I didn't catch.

"Get down," I ordered Ana. "Hold on to the bar, and get to the floor." I followed my own advice and lay down beside Ana, one arm around her shoulders. I stroked her wings soothingly as the train sped up even more.

"Trin," she said shakily.

"Yeah?"

"I need to tell you something…"

I sighed and tried to tell myself that my heart hadn't suddenly skipped a beat, that my chest hadn't tightened with the giddy hope that… I closed my eyes. "Tell me later," I murmured. "Tell me after we get out."

"But Trin—"

"That way, I have to fight my way out," I told her. "I have to keep us alive long enough to hear what you have to say. If you tell me now…"

"I understand." She rested her head on my shoulder, and I extended a wing to cover her. Using the pressure of my wing to hide the pressure of my hand, I carefully placed the little tracking device under one of Ana's wings. It clipped on with ease, and it did seem to blend in.

I pulled her closer to me and settled down for the ride.

It wasn't too long after that the doors opened, the train still moving, and a white coat tumbled in, the doors closing quickly with the help of a device in the figure's hand. Whoever it was stayed where they were but sprawled out on the floor with a relieved sigh. We could see boots. After a second we could hear her sniffing.

"Wait a minute."

The white coat scrambled up and slowly made her way over towards us. I could feel Ana tense and I rubbed my hand on her back soothingly, jumping when brown, not quite red orbs met mine unexpectedly when the white coat flopped down on the floor with us. "Of all the luck." The scientist smiled, and suddenly her coat looked much too big and she looked much too young to work for an evil corporation. "Mind if I hide with you? I think my gizmo's just about fried."

I took in the chopped super short dark hair and goofy grin, along with the barely noticeable scars and bruises, and the huge bags under her eyes. "You've stayed on too long if you're escaping."

Thin shoulders shrugged. "They haven't caught me yet this time. Maybe I'll get lucky and last another round of stops—" A buzzer cut her off and a red light started flashing. She scowled. "Never mind." She hopped up and started heading for the door again. "They've got Daemons on board, be careful! I won't give you away." She whipped out the stolen gizmo again, pressing a bunch of buttons as the door flew open. She squealed. "Oh look, it's not fried!" She climbed out the door and onto the roof, the door closing quickly behind her again. Ana and I stared open mouthed at the roof as we heard her running above us.

I pulled Ana back down when two dark shapes, two Fallen, hurtled past the windows she thumped against my side and within seconds the sounds of a muffled fight began. She looked back towards the sound. "Trinity…" I shook my head.

"We can't help her."

After a millennium of silence, the train slid to a stop—I shoved Ana underneath a row of chairs and then squeezed myself underneath in the row beside her, holding my breath as the scientists disembarked. If we could just not get caught, we could ride the train back…

Suddenly, a pair of glowing red orbs appeared in the darkness outside the window, and then a hand pressed against the glance. It was one of the Fallen.

There was a snuffling sound, as if a monster dog was smelling at the door; it was an almost watery sound… But it wasn't human. A sudden terror swept over me, and I had to force myself to keep from bolting. I could feel my feathers rising uncomfortably under my shirt. The snuffling increased in volume to a hungry, slobbering pant, and nails scratched at the door. The Fallen peered inside, sweeping his gaze across the room. He pressed a button and the door slid open, revealing the scariest creature I'd ever seen. It lunged right at me, and I gasped, pressing myself back as far as I could to avoid the snapping jaws.

For some reason, it couldn't reach me with its groping hands and gnashing teeth. "Down, you grotesque beast-tard," a lilting voice growled, and the monster fell to the floor, writhing in agony and screaming in an insane, inhuman voice. The Fallen leaped forward and muzzled the beast, then tied its leash around its legs. Then, the winged blond turned to us and held out an elegant hand.

I reached out hesitantly, and he helped pull me out. He let me help Ana by myself. As I stretched my wings out, I examined him thoroughly.

He was tall, blond—the only blond Fallen I'd ever seen—with bangs that would make Edward Elric proud. If that didn't give his identity away, I wasn't sure what would. "Luce," I said, standing. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"It's nice to meet you, too, I guess," he replied. "But in a way, I wish I'd never seen you. Or smelled you. I have orders to bring you to Zach. There are video cameras here, too, so I can't leave you here or let you escape." He gritted his teeth. "Please, come with me. I don't want to have to fight you."

I looked at Ana, who was looking at him balefully. Last time we had tried to fight the Fallen, I'd ended up in the Coliseum and she'd ended up at their mercy. I had a feeling that we'd have no better luck here, what with the Grotesque…

"Fine," I sighed.

He sighed as well and turned to the door. "Go first," he said. "And don't try making a break for it, either. There are other Grotesque patrols, everything's underground, and even I don't know the way out."

I nodded and followed, with Ana right behind me. She gasped when the two Fallen from before jumped in front of us, the girl between them—albeit unconscious and a lot more beaten up. The Grotesque whined and strained towards her but Luce kicked it before handing it off to another passing Fallen. One of the Fallen from earlier waved at us and smiled pleasantly, the other shook her head and rolled her eyes at Luce. "Honestly, fifth escape attempt this week? Don't they ever learn?" He nodded back, even though his smile seemed a bit strained. They hung around us and chattered pleasantly with Luce, as if it was the most natural thing in the world to have a bloody girl between them that they were dragging back for further experimentation and for us to be trailing behind Luce.

They kept with us as Luce led the way through various corridors, but disappeared as suddenly as they had come, leaving me and Ana confused. Luce shook his head.

"They took the side corridor; they have to take her to the holding cells. This way." He pushed his way through a pair of double doors and we followed into what looked like just another corridor. Same white walls, same greenish-gray doors. He led us to the end, and stopped at the door on the left. He knocked.

It was opened by that (and I'll steal this from Luce) that beast-tard himself, Zachary friggin' Moore. I glared at him; he just smiled sickeningly. "Come on in, this is your new room," he said, standing back and clearing the way for us. It was a beautiful, homey, _empty of everything but walls and air,_ white room. "Charming," Ana grumbled.

"Don't you know cohabitation's a sin?" I snapped at Zachary, but he just laughed. Luce appeared puzzled, and then shrugged it off.

"Lucifer is your designated Fallen. Don't try to escape on pain of death or worse, yadda yadda…" While reciting, Zach had strolled back towards the door. He turned, just as he was about to set his foot out in the hall, and shot a patronizing little smirk at me. "Don't worry," he purred, "I won't let Karen know you're here."

He closed the door and locked it behind him.

"There are microphones in here," Luce said. "Just lettin' you know."

I sighed and began brainstorming—ways to get out, obviously. But then, inevitably, my mind began to wander to Ana, what was she thinking? What was that brave, poor little girl going to tell me? (Did she love me? She loved Fang, I was sure. But after that incident, could her _romantic_ feelings have been shaken?) What about Luce, should we try to escape with him? (How was Sable? After we found Dad, it'd probably be a good idea to go visit her and Dom…)

There was a knock on the door, and Luce sighed. "Zoë."

"It is your turn to babysit," a Fallen girl said as Luce opened the door. "I know you are on guard duty, but they will be out for the experiment in about ten minutes, so can you please hold onto Lily-Flower while I rush off to lunch?"

Luce nodded and accepted the bundle of blankets. Zoë waved at us cheerfully and then left, closing the door behind her.

"Ten minutes until an experiment. Wonder what it is this time," Ana said icily. "Electrocution mazes, once-overs, phobia therapy, laser eye surgery?"

Luce looked up, his eyes pained, and I remembered that he'd been a regular avian experiment at one point—just like us. It must hurt a lot to stand by and have to help ITEX capture and torture others of us.

"Who's Lily?" Ana asked suddenly.

Luce's face lit up with a smile and he pulled some of the blankets away to reveal a sleeping infant. "This is Lily," he said adoringly. "We Fallen have been ordered to care for her, since her mother was an avian experiment and you guys are rebels."

I felt a giant ball of ice settle in my stomach, and a cold hand of dread seemed to grip my heart. Ana'd told me about Mason's story… About Lily, 'spitting image' of them… I found myself reaching out and touching the little girl's face with a mixture of awe and trepidation, and carefully freeing the rest of her head from the blankets.

She squirmed, yawned hugely, and then opened clear violet eyes that looked up at me with innocent curiosity. I felt like my knees would give way at any moment, but I couldn't move my hand away from her head. This was Cedric and Lisa's daughter. The tuft of red hair, the violet eyes—she'd have fluffy gray wings, just barely getting her real feathers in by now… "It's her, Ana," I murmured.

Her eyes widened. "Cedric and Lisa's--?"

Luce looked between us, surprised. "You knew her parents?"

"They were some of our best friends," I said, never raising my voice above a soft mumble. "And they were brutally killed…right in front of each other, in front of their family…"

Luce's face clouded and his gaze dropped to the sniffling—what, four month old baby in his arms? "Watch what you say around her," he mumbled helplessly. "She can understand you."

Lily's sniffling turned into soft cries, and she reached out for Luce with stubby little hands. Her fair skin was already marred by little scabs and red sores. Luce pulled her more closely to him and sighed. "Why does she always cry on me?" he said to the air.

I held out my arms. "You're not holding her right. Let me."

"Just get her to stop crying," he begged, and let me scoop the bawling little girl up. I carefully supported her against my shoulder and began to pace, resting my cheek upon her soft head (even at risk of deafness in one ear), and held her tightly, bouncing her ever so gently. "Shhhh," I whispered in her ear.

"Shhhh."

* * *

**Ana**

I couldn't help but smile as Trinity expertly calmed and quieted the baby. Soon, she was fast asleep on his shoulder. Trinity was like magic—whenever we ran into children or infants, he was immediately in daddy mode. He knew exactly how to get them to stop crying, how to get them to smile; he knew if a baby was crying because it was hungry, or if it was because of a diaper issue, or simply crying because of being 'so tired of staring at the ceiling all day'. He got along especially well with toddlers. He could do no wrong in their eyes, it seemed. No wrong, that is, except leave.

Even though Lily had fallen asleep, Luce seemed in no hurry to pick her back up, carefully watching how Trinity handled her—probably looking for any magic tricks that he could use himself next time he was caught with a screaming baby banshee. "The girls all have insane maternal instincts," he said. "But _I'm_ the one who has to deal with the baby all the time while they run off to ea—Trinity."

Trinity turned and handed Lily back and put his hands in his pockets, just before the door opened to reveal Zachary and two other Fallen; Zoey accepted Lily, this time without a smile, and disappeared back into the hall.

"Trinity, Ana," Zach said. "I'm going to need you to chew these. They're just knock-out pills, and I'm sure you'd prefer these to injections or chloroform." He held out a hand.

When we hesitated, he raised an eyebrow. "Or would you rather do this while you're conscious?"

I grabbed one of the pills and popped it in my mouth, chewing it and grimacing. "Ugh, chalk-flavored." I gagged.

Before I knew what was happening, Luce had leapt forward and caught me as I sank to the floor, unconscious.


	20. Chapter 18: Waking Up

**Ana**

When I came-to I was still in the room—or another that looked just like it, you could never tell. Every part of me ached, and I couldn't remember why. Thank God. I pushed myself up off the floor, wincing when my arm throbbed. My head was killing me too.

I was nudged by a foot. "You up?"

"Regretfully," I grumbled. "Any idea what they did to us?"

Trinity shook his head. "Not a clue. All I know is that I hurt like Hell."

"And I have no idea, either," Luce's voice said from a corner of the room somewhere behind me. "They don't tell me this sort of stuff."

I sighed and used the wall to help me stand, trying to shake out my legs and arms to get some blood flowing. I didn't seem to have any cuts—just bruises, and a general feeling of having been poked and prodded too much.

Trinity was stretching his wings out, and bones were popping in his spine; I followed his example and let out a little sigh of ecstasy as my neck cracked. "I feel like I was stuck in a box again," I said lightly.

He nodded. "All cramped up."

There was a knock on the door, and then it opened to reveal a familiar young man with baby blue eyes. He held up a pass, and Luce nodded. "I'll just be a few minutes," Omega said as Luce got up, waved at us, grinning, and left. Leaving the door open.

Omega turned to us. "The microphones are disabled temporarily, but we have to be quiet. Do you trust me to bust you out of here?" he asked softly.

I looked at Trin, who nodded. "What do we have to lose?" he asked rhetorically.

"Alright. Follow me, and look like you're on your way to another experiment." Omega peered out of the door and looked right, then left, and then hurried out.

He pulled a bluetooth from his pocket and clipped it to his ear. "You found the right place, he's here." He led us off to the right as a bunch of white coats appeared ahead, scowling as his attempts to keep out of the way failed. "There's more here than you could imagine. But there's no time for questions now." He stalled in an unremarkable hall at the sight of a lone scientist, who didn't even acknowledge us, and began trying doors as soon as he was gone. Eventually, on the third door to the left, he got us in. Unfortunately, it was a storage closet. He shoved us back among the unused lab coats.

"There's enough chemicals in here they won't notice you, so please try not to get caught otherwise. I'm going to go get someone to help you from here. You'll know it's them, trust me, otherwise _stay hidden." _He peered through the crack in the door, checking if the coast was still clear. He turned and grabbed a couple of labcoats to look inconspicuous, and pulled something out of his pocket and shoved it into my hands. I recognized it immediately as one of Kate's ribbons. "Tell Kate...no, don't tell her anything. She'll know." He slipped out the door, giving us a meaningful look. "_Stay._"

I watched the door after he closed it behind him until you could no longer hear his retreating footsteps, then slumped against the wall. "Great. A broom closet. This is original."

"Shhh," Trinity hissed.

We waited.

And waited.

And waite—

The door opened, to reveal Gizmo Girl. She grinned at us. "Come on, I have a way out! Just hold this." She shoved a sleeping Lily into Trin's arms. "Alright, hurry! All of the halls are clear for ten minutes, let's go-go-go!"

She took off like a rocket, her stolen coat fanning out behind her. After quickly exchanging bewildered glances with Trin I took off after her and he followed. She led us this way and that, and I swear she got lost a couple times and had to double back, but it's not like I could actually say so, everything looked the same.

After what felt like forever she led us to an underground parking lot. She smiled sweetly at the guard. "Hey, do you mind telling me where Mr. Moore's car is? We're supposed to get it for him." The guard didn't spare us a second glance until Lily began to cry, he'd even pointed out the general direction of the car before even really looking at us. When his brow furrowed and he began to reach his hand behind him for something Gizmo Girl put her hand on his cheek.

"I don't think so. Nighty-night."

He dropped to the floor, fast asleep. "Alright, let's go!" The crazy lady jumped in behind the steering wheel (I don't know if the car was locked or not, but it didn't look like she'd spared a moment's attention to that), and Trinity and I just barely managed to pack ourselves into the backseat before she'd put a foot on the gas.

She laughed as we zoomed out of the building. "This is AWESOME! I've never drove before, this is fun! Uh-oh, hold on." She barely made it onto the road before the rest of the guards could catch up, and I could see them beginning to release Grotesques, but the things never stood a chance with a maniac driver. After a couple hair raising minutes Trin gave Lily to me and clambered into the front seat. "Move over. Now. I'm driving."

"Awww, fine." She pouted.

"Ana, use the phone back there and call Kate," he ordered. "Tell her to give the phone to Gabriel or whichever adult's closest, and explain where we're going. I'll try to lose them; we can't lead them to Gabe's house."

I nodded and began dialing the number, but the girl wasn't having none of that. She was bouncing in her seat, pumped up on adrenaline, and chattering about as fast as Nudge. "WOW, this is amazing! I've never got this far before. Is the whole world like this? Driving is fun! Can I drive again? Are we going to get caught? We'll be so dead, but it'll be worth it! Zach's car! HA!"

I exchanged looks with Trin in the rearview mirror and mouthed, "We're so ditching her ASAP."

He grinned and focused on driving.

"Kate!"

"_Ana!"_

"Put me on with an adult, quick."

"_Gabe here."_

"Hey, Gabriel. We just escaped ITEX and we've got Fallen, Grotesques, and who knows what else chasing our sorry hides. We also have a baby we rescued, and a crazy girl who helped us escape. We're trying to lose them now, we can't bring them back to your place.

"I'm not crazy!" She took a deep breath and turned back around, settling into her seat with a bright red blush taking over her cheeks. "I'm just excited...You'd be too..."

Trin met my eyes in the mirror again and I shook my head. He just smiled. "What's one more to hang around...?"

"YES!" She slapped her hands over her mouth and grinned.

My jaw dropped and I just stared at the back of Trin's head. His shoulders shook.

_"Ana? Ana, are you still there?"_

"Trin is being SO _mean!_" I exclaimed. "He is just—Oh, shhh, I'm sorry Lily, shhhh. Crap, I woke the baby up. Um, Gabe, I'm gonna have to go. See you soon."

I hung up before he even had the chance to say bye and started rocking Lily. Crazy was looking around and taking everything in. It looked like that grin was glued to her face. "Wow..." She looked at Trin. "You aren't mean, you're awesome. Do I really get to stay with you guys?" His shoulders shook again as he glanced back at me but he managed to keep a straight face.

"Yeah, if you want to." He nodded back at us. "I'm Trinity, back there's Santana and I don't know if you've met Lily or not. What's your name?"

She shrugged. "The name tag on this coat said Catlyn--and I think she needs to go on a diet, she's huge, but anyway, so can I be Catlyn? It's better than the name the stupid scientists gave me. Honestly, I think they're running outta names after Alpha and Omega and Beta and all those guys....And Maximum, she's, like, the only girl with an uber name, have you noticed? I mean, there's Luce, too, but he's a guy...it's like they don't like girls or something..."

I just stared. Enough said.

"You know, them being sexist wouldn't surprise me," Trinity said. "But anyway. Can you guys take a look back there and tell me if we lost 'em?"

Catlyn leaned out her window and looked behind us. "We're about clear, there's still a couple Fallen but they're about ready to pull back."

"Good." Trin nodded, took another turn, and lost ourselves in traffic by Broadway. The Fallen had disappeared. "Now we can start making our way home."

"Where's home—wait, are we there yet?" She took one look back at me and burst into laughter. I glared at Trin.

"You will pay," I mouthed.

As soon as we arrived, I slid out of the car and handed Lily off to Trin; he was better with reuiniting lost kids with their guardians—I didn't want to handle Mason and Bella myself, so I ran up to Kate, who'd been standing on the doorstep.

After hugs, I began explaining our escape. "Omega helped us," I said. "He was pretty sweet. I can see why you like him." She smiled sadly. "He told me not to try to explain, but just to give you this."

As I handed her the ribbon, she turned pink and began blinking away tears. "Thanks," she said softly. "Thanks, Ana."

Catlyn had trailed after me and now smiled shyly at Kate. "Hi. Are you the one what's his face talked about a lot?"

Kate's eyes widened. "I don't know. _Did_ Omega talk about me?" she asked.

Catlyn's eyes about popped out of her head. "Dude! He was Omega? Oh gosh--No!" She turned bright pink. "I think I insulted my rescuer."

Kate blinked. "I'm sure he didn't take it bad," she said hesitantly.

Catlyn shook her head. "Oh, I hope your right. That's just...bad."

I jumped as Trinity fell to the floor, Bella strangling him—I mean, Bella _hugging_ him. Tears were streaming down her face. He patted her on the back awkwardly, but he was smiling as Mason rocked a giggling Lily in his arms.

Gabriel came out when he heard the commotion; the relief rolling off him in waves was nearly tangible. The others had gathered by the door, waiting their turn to welcome us back.

Eventually, I'd been hugged by everyone, even Max. Everyone—and Max—that is, except Fang. He was apparently still upstairs, unconscious; we'd only been gone for the afternoon. Which was surprising.

I slipped away when everyone started crowding around Lily going on about how cute she was. I found myself watching Fang sleep and sighing heavily. Soon, Trin had pulled up a chair and sat down beside me, groaning softly as his aching muscles stretched.

I could feel heat rising in my face, and I looked down at my feet. We weren't likely to be left alone together for a while—if you could call this alone, even. I mean, even if he was out cold, Fang was there… I gritted my teeth. I'd say this now; before I chickened out.

"Trin… What I said last night… I've known it for a while. Fang… I think he's known it as well. I'd like to think that I've been a good actor. I mean, I've lied to myself for so long…"

"Ana." Trin laughed softly. "Just shut up and spit it out already."

I gawked at him, reading the words he hadn't said written in his eyes. "You_ know! _Why should I tell you if you know already? You're just teasing me or somethi—"

He shut me up with a short kiss, and then smiled softly. "I just want to hear it from your own mouth, and not hi—someone else's."

I blushed. "The true meaning of love is doing what's best for someone, to the point of doing something they don't like, for their better interest. It's being there for them, giving them tough love when they need it…and loving them, always." I watched as he pulled apart my anxious, tangled fingers. "I love you," I sighed.

He smiled, but didn't meet my eyes. "I know, Ana. I love you too. Now..." He looked over at Fang and my heart lurched. "Do you want to go downstairs? Catlyn's probably driving everyone insane." I took the hint. Fang was about to wake up, if he hadn't already, and I needed to figure out what to say.

I nodded and stood, walking out the door that Trinity held open for me. I didn't look back.

If I had, I would have seen Trinity touching his brother's face, his eyes just as pained as Fang's heart must have been as he brushed away the moisture at the corners of Fang's eyes.

* * *

When I found Catlyn she was sitting on the couch across from Nudge and they were having a rapid fire conversation.

"Ohmygosh you're awesome!"

"Ohmygosh you're awesome!"

"You're awesome!"

"Squee! I know! How old are you?"

"Twelve? Fourteen? I dunno, but I don't do odd numbers."

"Really? Cool!"

"Yeah!"

They hugged, jumping up and down in time with each other. KIX came up then, and grinned at them. "Hi, Catlyn!" he said cheerily, his hummingbird wings flitting about behind him, batting his tail around as it wagged.

She squealed, looking between him and Nudge so fast that I'm amazed she didn't get whip lash. Another faint blush appeared. "H-hi. You-no. Hi. I mean, what's your name again?" Looks like someone already had a crush.

"KIX!" he chirped. "KIX Flyte, but everyone calls me Hummer. Everyone except Beth, that is." It was KIX's turn to blush.

I burst into a coughing fit to try and hide my laughter. Oh boy. Beth was gonna have to look out for herself now…

Catlyn blushed even redder. "Oh, well...Hey, Santana!" She waved me over. "How's it going? They told me they call you Ana, can I call you Ana too?"

I nodded. "Sure. You could call me 'girl', or even just 'hey, you' if you forget. I'm used to it."

"Funny, so am I." She rolled her eyes. "Just got a name, remember? Ok, so maybe it wasn't my first name, but it's better than my first name, and it's not like the stupid white coats use names anyway. Fallen do, sometimes."

"Why was ITEX interested in you, anyway?" I asked curiously.

"It's complicated..." She looked away. "In short, I kind of copy genetic material when I touch people, and then I can replicate the DNA when I need it. It's like....a part of whoever it is gets stuck in my head, and then I can sort of become them for a while. When I first take them, it drains them--like that guard. It's useful." She ran a hand through her hair and still didn't meet our eyes. "You can't have two people around. But, I can't seem to get the copying right or something, so I'm a failure. And I didn't have any intention of staying around long enough to be fixed." She laughed. "Weird, huh? I could have my own TV show."

"Hey, we all could," KIX said. I grinned. "Especially Trin and Ana. What a soap!" I stopped smiling.

"Ah! Run!" She grabbed his hand and began to run when what sounded like a siren went off in her pocket. She stopped dead and pulled out the same contraption from before. "Nooooo! The batteries are almost dead! Nooooooo!"

"What is that, anyway?" Nudge asked. "Is it like something from Dr. Who? I dunno, I never watched it, but there was this one episode I _did_ but it was only like, the beginning, so I dunno, but…" She continued, but I tuned her out.

"I dunno." Catlyn shrugged. "I don't know what it is, but it's really, really useful and can do about anything so far and I think I've squished it and fried it and it survived but now the batteries are gonna die...I CAN'T LET THAT HAPPEN! Anybody got any double A's?"

"Yeah, I think we have some in the kitchen," KIX said.

"LEAD THE WAY!"

They went romping off, dragging Nudge with them, leaving me in an empty room. Trin had gone upstairs to talk to Gabe some more--so hanging with him seemed out at the moment. Well, I could always go and figure out what I was gonna say to Fang...

On second thought, I spun around and ran to go find Mason and Bella to offer my help taking care of Lily. Procrastinating was _gooooood…_

I ran into Max. She shook her head at me. "Don't bother; I doubt that little girl is ever going to be set down in her life for more than two seconds."

I laughed and joined her in walking down the hall.

"How's it going Max?"

She shrugged. "Pretty good I guess."

"Good." I nodded.

"What about you?"

"Not good." I nodded again.

"Why am I not surprised?" She shook her head. "What's up now?"

I bit my lip. "Promise not to blow up at me?" She blinked, but agreed. "I've got to break up with Fang…and…yeah…" My voice had totally died.

"Oh." She didn't respond for the longest time, and just when I was about to ask her something, anything to get her to speak she started down the hall again. "Trinity?"

I mouthed, 'Yeah.'

"Hmmm..."

… "Boys stink."

She smiled slightly. "Tell me about it."

"Yeah..." I looked over in the general direction KIX and the others had gone. "You wanna make sure they don't blow anything up?"

"Nah, Beth's in there." I could hear her voice. "She'll keep 'em straight."

"...Ok then. Now what?"

I shrugged. "Makes me almost wish there was something wrong that I could fix."

"WHAT?" Max blew up without warning, her cheeks turning red and her fists clenching. "You want something else to go wrong? You're insane!"

My own hands flew up in defense. "No Max! Gosh, you know that's not what I meant!"

"I don't think I know what anyone means anymore!" she snapped. "First Fang says he wants me, and then you two hook up and it looks all set for marriage, and then overnight you suddenly are dumping him and going for Trinity! How _am_ I supposed to know what _anyone_ means when everything follows that kind of turbulence?"

"You're not much better! Look at yourself! Are you bipolar or something?" I found myself looking around for help, someone had to be able to reason with her.

Angel appeared on the stairs. "Max, snap out of it!" she cried. "It's Max II talking, Ana!" she directed at me.

"Crap! Since when?" I took a step away from Max and she clutched at her head—like she was having one of the famous brain attacks. I stared at Angel's white face, too wary to get close to Max when she was psycho. "What's going on?"

"I'll tell you once she's got control again," Angel said breathlessly, and then extended her hands out in the air towards Max. "Maybe…"

After a few moments of grinding teeth and anxious waiting on my part, Max suddenly swayed and I had to grab her arm to keep her from falling into the glass cabinet to our left. "You alright?" I asked.

She immediately shoved away and tried to stand on her own, and I had to catch her again. I smiled weakly. "Not quite, then."

Angel finished coming down the stairs and hugged Max tightly. "Max II is going to have a major headache when she wakes up," she said.

Max rubbed her back. "Yeah. Thanks Sweetie."

I decided to leave—I'd talk to them later. "I'm going to, uh, go talk to Jeb," I said quickly, and left.

Of course, before I could reach Jeb I was intercepted again—this time by KIX and he ran right into me. Maybe it's just me, but I think the hat duct taped to his face had something to do with it. He was tugging at it as he apologized.

"OW! Sorry. I can't get this stupid thing off!"

I sighed and pulled him back from talking to the wall and began helping him get it off. "What now, KIX?"

"You know, I don't know!" he exclaimed, voice muffled by the hat. "I was just—just flirting with Beth and then all of a sudden Nudge was saying I was a sexist pig and Catlyn took Nudge's hat and the duct tape…"

I shook my head, crippled by laughter. "You dorkus."

"What? What I do? Tell-OW!" He blinked at me after I'd managed to yank the hat off along with most of the duct tape. He scowled. "Thanks."

"Can't you see that Catlyn _likes_ you?" I asked disbelievingly.

He stared at me like I'd lost my mind. "No way!"

I smacked him over the head. "You bozo! She was trippin' over her words and turning as red as a stoplight. Hummer, you really gotta slow down and smell the roses. You're a cute little birdy and girls will fall for that."

His tail drooped from where it had been flapping happily behind him. He sighed. "Beth won't," he said darkly, and flopped back against the wall, suddenly appearing his age instead of seeming nine years old and high on Pixi-Stix.

"Beth's as clueless as you half the time." I leaned against the wall beside him. "Take it easy and she might get a clue--and it might help just a little to ask Angel what to do. She's scary good, just sayin'."

"So I've heard," he sighed, and ran a hand through his wind-swept hair. It never lay flat, I can tell you. After flitting around so much during his life, his hair seemed to have given up and just stayed the way the wind left it, and he never liked to comb it, since it was always so tangled. He exhaled in another blustery sigh and closed his eyes. "Whenever I'm around her, I just can't talk!" he moaned. "It's like my tongue gets all…all tied up."

"Yeah, that's why it's called being 'tongue-tied', dork. Being tongue tied is normal, even if it's not the greatest thing in the world. Plus, it's cute." I bumped elbows with him. "People are complicated…Come on, you don't want the messed up love triangle I've got, right? Ask Angel, it'll be fine."

He looked at me. "No way do I want to copy you, Goldie and Mr. Emo. Where's Angel?"

"She's off with Max," I said, and tried to ignore his nicknames for Trin and Fang. "By the stairs, last time I saw 'em."

"K." He waved as he left. "Wish me luck."

I smiled, shaking my head, and finally made it to Jeb. Except he and Dr. Martinez were a bit busy with Ella and Iggy; both of whom were bright red, with their hands in their laps as if they were afraid to get in trouble by touching each other.

I turned and hightailed it outta there—no way was I gonna get in the middle of that conversation. I shook my head and spoke to no one in particular. "Is everyone coupling off?"

Gazzy and Nudge looked at each other from where they'd been hanging out together. "Uh, no," they said emphatically. "Ew."

I rolled my eyes at them. "You know what I mean. Anybody seen Kate?"

"She was out in the garden thingy," Nudge said. "You know, the one you can see from the kitchen. I dunno how she got there, though, cuz there aren't any doors and the window doesn't open."

I shrugged and thanked them and crossed over to the kitchen, being careful not to put holes in my socks by getting them caught on the nailheads sticking up in the floor. I pulled back the curtains at the far side of the room and saw Kate, sitting under a giant fern bush thingy, her red hair pulled back in a ponytail and her ribbon in her hands. She was staring up at the sky, eyes closed, letting the sleet that dripped from the sky splatter against her face—it wasn't raining too hard, though, so I wasn't too worried.

I knocked on the glass, and she opened her eyes. I pointed at her, then at me, and raised my hands in question. She pointed at the sky, explaining that she'd flown in. I nodded.

I went out the front door and without further ado flew over to the garden. I just shrugged when she looked at me in surprise. "My love life's a wreck, and so is KIX's apparently, what more can I say?" I walked over, tucking my wings into my jacket. "Is that the ribbon…the one he gave back?"

She nodded, looking back up at the sky. "Yeah..."

I sat down next to her and pulled off my muddy socks, tossing them down beside me—she'd done the same already. "He said that you'd 'know' when I gave the ribbon to you. Would you tell me what you 'know'?"

She smiled slightly and her grip on the ribbon tightened for a moment. "It means he's on our side. He really does love me."

I smiled and I hugged her, tight. It was good to see a flock member without relationship problems.

"I'm sort of worried about him," she admitted. "Not that he'll turn back or anything, just that he'll go too far to be on our side. Right now, he's our inside man. But soon, he'll want to be breaking away and getting out of there. We need to get him out before that happens."

I nodded. "We can set him up with Sable, or Steph or someone."

Kate looked at me carefully. "I was thinking he could come with us," she said quietly. "That, or I'd stay with him."

I thought for a moment. No way was I going to be able to separate Kate from Omega if she really put her mind to it. And no way was I going to let her leave, either. "I'll talk to Trin," I said, "but consider Omega our newest addition to our family."

Her face lit up like Christmas morning and she wrapped herself around my waist. "Thank you! Thank you, Ana!"

I laughed. "How could I say no?"

She grinned at me, and then rested her head on my shoulder. "So how's _your_ love life?" she asked.

I groaned. "What do you think it is? It's a wreck!" I pulled away. "I have to break up with Fang, and he heard me tell Trin 'I love you' earlier, and I told Trin the true meaning of love and everything. And I really do love them both and...I'm a horrible person. there's just no way around that."

She shook her head. "Yes, you are," she agreed. "You shouldn't have lied to yourself for so long."

"Someone who understands," I sighed.

Her lips twitched. "Sable's actually the one who said that," she said softly. "I talked to her a couple times about Omega, and she really helped." She paused, and then turned bright red. "I used to have a crush on Dom, too, and for a while I felt like you must feel with Trin and Fang. I mean, you've known Trin for like, forever, and then all of a sudden Fang's there, and you love both—and then you end up choosing one or the other. I talked to Sable, and I realized that while I truly love Dom… Nothing was going to happen. Ever."

"…Since when have you and Dom been together?" I demanded.

She grinned. "We broke up right before we met Max's flock," she said. "It doesn't matter. But anyway—even if we'd gotten back together, we were just in it for the feelings, not… Not because it was ever going to go anywhere. But with Omega… After all of this, after we get rid of ITEX, I can see us getting married. I can see us spending forever with each other. And that's how I chose."


	21. Chapter 19: Trepidation

_**A/N:**__ Maddy Cullen: No. We don't have any shame. *evil grin*_

_**Because it'd ruin the story if I put this at the end of the chapter: **__You just knew we were going to do that, didn't you. –is shameless- Oh, the DRAMA!_

* * *

Emma danced down the path. The concrete warmed by the Sun passed quickly beneath her bare feet. A bright, baggy red T-shirt and cut-off shorts helped add to her childish appearance. Her short, black curls were held into place by a scarlet ribbon.

She smiled at people walking by, and when she met an elderly couple she asked politely for directions to her friend's house. She paused to play with a puppy before it ran off after its master who smiled and waved at her. She appeared to be a sweet child in a safe community. She wasn't. The community wasn't safe, and she wasn't sweet.

She walked elegantly to the house she wanted. Sable's house. She smirked as she rang the bell.. Her suspicions were right. Lucifer's scent was here.

As the door opened she put on an adorable smile, and a look of uncertainty. She bit her lip. "Um…is this…Sable's house?"

The teenage girl, Sable, looked her up and down, a wary expression on her face. For some odd reason she'd been expecting Luce even though he'd said he wouldn't be back until later that night, and he always kept to his schedule. Never early, but never late either. "Yes." Deep in Emma's heart she felt contempt. This girl may be pretty, but she was nothing. She felt none of Lucifer's pull towards her. He was so soft, despite Zach's claims otherwise. She was doing him a favor.

"Oh." Emma looked down at her feet, the picture of chagrin. "Um, then can I talk to her? Please?" She looked up, her eyes pleading. "It's about Luce."

Sable's breath caught in her throat, but she steeled herself and opened the door, ushering the girl inside. "Come in." Emma came. She stepped lightly in front of a fan, letting her scent be blown around the room.

"Is Sable here?" Her voice was curious, worried, and a tad childish. Perfect.

Sable nodded. "Yes.. You're talking to her." She flipped her hair back over her shoulder as she closed the door solidly behind her. She was still paranoid about Zach. "What is it?"

Automatically Emma's voice was clipped, businesslike. She straightened and somehow she looked intimidating despite how she still appeared like a delicate twig. "You know Lucifer." It wasn't a question. Sable nodded anyway.

"Yes. And since he's sent you here I'm guessing you know him too. What's up?"

Emma smirked. "He didn't send me. I sent myself." She moved over by the pictures, looking at the smiling faces of Sable's family. "You work with The Family?" Yet again it wasn't really a question.. Sable answered again anyway. Something was off with this girl.

"Yes, I do. And if Luce didn't send you then—"

"Scrrrrrrreeeeeeeee?"

"Dom!" Sable's heart pounded. This girl obviously wasn't safe, she had to get him out of here! But Emma just smiled.

"Hi! I'm Emma, and I need to talk about some Family stuff with Sable. Can I get to know your story later?"

After an uncertain look at Sable, who took Emma's hint and nodded woodenly, he left reluctantly. Emma wouldn't hurt him. She wouldn't hurt anyone unless she had to. It would mess up her plans. Emma's laugh was that of a little girl again.

"Ok, it is about Luce. I don't get why he's so drawn to you. Maybe it has to do with The Family, or maybe you're the cause behind that obsession.. I don't care. But you should know that it's a weakness on both your parts. And," She moved quickly, like lightning. She grabbed Sable's wrist tightly, drawing blood. The girl didn't cry out, she just glared. Emma smiled sweetly back. "You know weakness simply cannot be tolerated." She danced to the door, opening it swiftly and waving jauntily. "See you later, Sable!"

* * *

**A Day After Last Chapter:**

Sable's expression was puzzled as she sat down behind her computer. "Hey," she said distractedly.

I waved. "How're you?" I asked.

KIX came in and sat beside me. I gave him a weird look and he shrugged. "Angel said she was busy with Max and Max II and to talk to you guys later. Now is later."

Sable blinked. "Max II?"

KIX explained everything Angel had told him about the mental link and the plot to rip our loyalties and friendships apart from the inside. Sable frowned, and then told us about the girl's visit.

KIX shrugged. "Sounds like a nut--she fits in nicely."

"I dunno. I think it goes deeper than just being a nut," Sable said. She suddenly giggled. "I think she _luuuuurves_ Luce."

I guffawed. "Seriously? You have to ask him about that! He could be clueless--Like KIX and Catlyn."

"HEY!"

Sable grinned. "What's this? I thought our dear Hummer was drooling after Beth!"

"Yeah—and--just—ah! Ana!" He glared at me and turned bright red and I just smirked at him and turned back to Sable.

"He is, but you know how they both are so clueless, right? Well, that new girl, Catlyn, has the biggest crush I have ever seen on KIX—and in true KIX fashion he was clueless, until--"

"Shut up Ana!"

"Until someone pointed it out to him," Sable finished. I nodded. She turned around in her chair. "Hear that, Dom?"

Dom laughed in the background, and I saw his bare feet shuffle down the hall. Sable turned back to us.

KIX hunched down in his seat and grumbled under his breath. "I thought you were going to mention the hat and the duct tape..."

"Oh, stop sulking. I didn't. You just did." I stuck my tongue out at him and smiled at Sable. "You hear that about the duct tape and Nudge's hat?"

Sable grinned. "Do tell."

"NO! Ana don't you dare--"

"They duct taped Nudge's hat to his face when he flirted with Beth in front of Catlyn."

He seemed to disappear into his chair. "And they called me a sexist pig..."

"And he still didn't get it." I finished and shook my head. "Can you believe it? I had to practically spell it out for him."

Sable burst out laughing, and she laughed so hard that tears began to leak out of her eyes. She sighed happily. "I could hug you, KIX. I really could."

He looked at her completely taken back. "But-but I'd only known her a day! And not even a whole day, an afternoon! How was I supposed to--Shut up Ana."

"I didn't even say anything yet!"

"You're going to!"

I glared at him good naturedly. "Now I'm not."

"Fine! I get it! I'm clueless." He crossed his arms. "Anybody mind helping the clueless guy out?"

"Tell Beth," Sable and I said in unison.

His eyes about popped out of his head and he just about choked. "WHAT? Are you insane! I can't do that!"

"You were the one who asked us," I said.

"Fine." He got up and headed for the door only to come back and plop back onto his seat. "How?"

Sable thought for a moment, still wiping at her eyes. "First of all. Why do you like her?"

Kix turned bright red. "Well, she's not the one who duct taped the hat to my face..." he mumbled.

Sable smiled. "Is she funny?"

"Hilarious."

"Pretty?" KIX nodded mutely, but emphatically. "Can you talk well around her?" KIX shook his head vigorously. "Does she make your stomach get tied in knots, make your chest tighten up, make you feel giddy just by smiling?" KIX's eyes were wide as he nodded again.

Sable, still smiling, said, "And if she didn't, if she was ugly, if she never smiled again, if she couldn't speak, see, hear, or even know you existed anymore—if she were in a permanent comatose state, would you stay by her side and love her, take care of her, do the dirty work involved in that—for the rest of your lives?"

That startled KIX. It startled me as well. She'd gone from asking lovey-dovey questions to the hard-core, 'true meaning of love'—and the way she phrased it opened my eyes again to the true meaning. How amazing the truth about 'love' was.

KIX nodded. "I would," he said firmly.

Sable beamed. "You love her! Squee! Just wait till I tell her!"

His mouth was gaping open like a fish and for a moment he couldn't get any words out, and then--"No! NO! Sable--don't tell her! I'll do it! I swear!"

"Really?" She squee'd again. "Good! Or else I'll have Nudge tell her."

I grinned evilly. "Oh, Sable. You are evil."

"Yeah, yeah. Sable's evil, we know that. Beth!" He leaned out the door into the hall, then took off. "BETH! WAIT UP!"

Sable gave me her innocent, thirteen-year-old-angel smile. "So, what about you?" she asked.

My smiled faltered. "What do you think? I have to break up with Fang, and he heard my tell Trin 'I love you', and I do love them both, really...it's just...you know. And I can't even think of what to say to Fang..."

Sable's smile disappeared. She looked at me as if I were stupid. "Well, the _truth_ is a good place to start. But not just 'I love Trin'. Say that you love Trin, you love Fang. But you just heard me talk to KIX..."

"I know!" I exclaimed. "I get all that."

"Then tell Fang that, while you truly love him, you want to be with Trin for forever. What was keeping you with Fang in the first place? Did he make you feel good, important, loved?" I nodded. "That sort of stuff fades quick. Do you think, once it had, you would have been happy?" I shook my head. "What about Trin? I know he adores you—he always will. But someday the romance will fade. It might be in a year, might be in a hundred. Would you stick with him?"

I took a deep breath and nodded. "I would."

"Fang understands that. I only had about five minutes to talk with him on IM this morning, but he understands that. He's been waiting for this for a while. He loves you—he wants to marry you. BUT THAT DOESN'T MATTER. Don't feel guilty. He doesn't. Just go up to him, state the facts, and then hug, make up, and go talk to Trin. Get things in order. Things'll be awkward, yeah. But that'll pass." Sable paused. "And that's a good deal more than I really should say."

I sighed. "Sable, if I could hug you I would. I'm going to go find Fang now, that OK, Miss Lurv Doctor?"

She regarded me seriously. "Only if you stop calling me that right now," she said. I smiled and nodded.

"See ya, Sabes." I logged out of Messenger and tucked the laptop under my arm and headed out the hall and up the stairs. I passed the laptop off to Gazzy and Igs on the way. I paused at the door. "Fang?"

"Come in," he rasped.

I felt like I was walking on broken glass as I made my way over to where he was. I leaned on the wall. "Fang… Damn it; you know what I'm going to say." I looked away and rubbed my neck. "…I'm sorry. I really am. It's just…"

"It's just you love him." He propped himself up on his elbows and looked at me and my breath caught in my throat. "I get that. We were never meant to be, but…Remember me, OK?"

"I will." I sat by him and leaned against him. "I'm sorry. I love you both. It's just…"

"Yeah." He rubbed my arm. "I know."

"You're making this too easy," I sighed. "I feel like I should be in tears or something. Or maybe you should be."

"This isn't a soap opera."

"Goodness, it feels like it." I sighed. "I'm so stupid."

Fang shook his head. "We all are."

"I'm the worst." I closed my eyes. "So...this is goodbye...in a way."

I could _feel_ him glaring at me. He took one of my shoulders and shook it. "You're right. You're an idiot," he growled. "We're still best friends."

I smiled. "Yeah... I guess it's KIX's turn to have the soap opera."

His hard gaze softened a bit with amusement. "Seriously? Tell me about it. No one's let me out of this room for forever."

"You've met Catlyn by now, right?" He nodded and I grinned. "She has a crush on KIX, and he really loves Beth--he's chased her down by now to tell her." Fang laughed.

"Let's see how that goes."

"They'll either be all over each other, or will never speak to each other again," I said solemnly, and the brightened. "Oh! You'll never guess what Iggy and Ella did."

His eyes twinkled. "What?"

"They were getting a talk from Jeb and Dr. Martinez. They looked terrified to even touch each other and they were both as red as could be."

"How much do you want to bet that when Jeb and Dr. M found them, Iggy was missing a shirt and his hands were where they shouldn't have been?"

I slapped him lightly. "Sexist-pig."

"According to all you girls I am." He laughed. "But knowing Iggy…"

I nodded. "Knowing Iggy, you're probably right. That boy seriously needs a lesson in morals."

"He needs a spanking," a voice said—Dr. Martinez in the doorway.

"That would work too." I smiled at her sheepishly. "What's up?"

She opened her mouth to speak, frowned, shook her head, and then turned to Fang. "I want to check you over once more before we let you go."

He beamed, and in an un-Fang-like moment punched the air, shouting, "YES! FREEDOM!"

I stared at him. "You know, I think he's still sick, Dr. M."

He glared at me. "If you cost me my freedom Princess I might just have to lock you in a closet somewhere."

I rolled my eyes. "What happened to the tower?"

"You'd fly away."

"What makes you think I wouldn't stick around and wait for my Prince Charming?"

"Because I know you and you're impatient."

"But he's not _that_ slow."

"You're still not that patient."

"Yeah, well—"

"GUYS!" Dr. Martinez looked at us exasperatedly.

"Sorry," we answered at the same time and laughed.

* * *

**The Third Day**

The next morning, I woke up and immediately looked down at my stomach.

There are ups to being a mutant girl. First of all—you can get to know your body pretty well. You knew when a stomach gurgle meant you were going to feel a bit queasy, and when you were going to blow chunks. You knew when the pain behind your eyes was allergies, or a really bad sign. You knew when your stomach went _KABOOM! _that something was up.

It wasn't a bad _KABOOM!_; no, it was almost as if a fountain of elation went up through my body, starting in my gut. I felt like something amazing had happened to me. At first, as I groggily pushed away the blankets and stumbled to the bathroom to brush my teeth (morning breath tastes bad), I explained to myself that the happiness as just getting the Love Triangle straightened out. But as I brushed my teeth and began to wake up a bit more, I realized that, while I was happy it was now Trin/Ana and not Trin/Ana/Fang, that wasn't why I was so happy. I tried to figure out the source of my giddiness, but found it unexplainable.

I put a hand on my stomach, where I knew the buzzy, happy-butterflies were coming from, and frowned at the mirror. "OK, body," I told myself. "What's up? The pasta last night wasn't _that_ good."

I stared at myself in the mirror for a good long while. I didn't look sick, and I didn't feel like it either, just…different--but in a really, really good way… Oh. I scowled. "I'm going to kill the guys if they tried to slip Max Valium again."

"They didn't," Angel said sleepily, standing in the doorway, Celeste hanging from her hand. She rubbed her eyes. "What's wrong, Ana?" she asked, seemingly too tired to read my mind for the answer.

"Nothing, sweetie. My stomach's just a bit weird."

Angel paused in her rubbing, and then she blinked. And then she shook her head. And then she spun around and ran downstairs, squealing, "Dr. Martinez, Dr. Martinez! Something's wrong with Ana's stomach!"

I started to follow her but noticed my feet were sticking to the floor and looked down. I groaned. Catlyn had gone even crazier with the duct tape even though I'd told her not to. It was bound to be anywhere and everywhere today. Igs and Ella should have known better than to start that pillow fight during the movie last night...

Dr. Martinez met me on the stairs. She frowned. "Why is there duct tape on the ceiling?"

"You know, I have no idea how Catlyn got up there. She can't even fly." I shrugged. "Anyway, I don't think I'm sick or anything, so don't worry."

"Even so," she said. "I want to see if it's got anything to do with what they did to you three days ago."

I yawned and followed her down the hall. "What're you going to do?"

"Just a few tests. Nothing very special, they might make you a bit uncomfortable though."

I shrugged. "Meh, as long as you don't poke me, or wave needles around or anything."

She smiled. "I figured out not to do that with Max a long time ago, trust me." She held open the door for me. "After you."

I went in and sat down on the bed, pulling my legs up beneath me. "What first, doc?"

"Describe what you feel," she said.

"Well, it's really weird. I woke up, and I just felt like there was this fountain in my stomach, and I felt all tingly. Like, the water—or whatever—that was getting spewed up into my head was hitting something and going _splash!_ down into my arms, and trickling into my fingers."

"And what was this 'water'?"

"Happiness. Complete and utter joy. I felt like I could walk on air."

She turned to where Angel had set herself up in the doorway. "Angel, did the boys--"

"No. They didn't try Valium again. You got onto them too much last time."

Dr. Martinez frowned, and then stuck her head out into the hallway. "Jeb?" she called. He appeared in the doorway across from us. "Could you try to find out what ITEX might have done to Trinity and Ana, for me, please?" He nodded and disappeared again. Dr. M turned to Angel. "Could you go and check on Trinity, wait till he wakes up, and then see if he feels strange?"

Angel nodded and skipped off.

Dr. Martinez rummaged around in her doctor's kit (I guess that's what it was) and then pulled out some notes. Then she looked back inside and pulled out something I recognized.

"HOLY CRAP WOMAN!" I screeched.

Dr. Martinez held up her hands. "Ana, it's perfectly reasonable. We have to look at all the possibilities—"

"A pregnancy test? Are you kidding me?! That's insane! That's just—wrong! So wrong!"

She grabbed my shoulders.

"Does it feel wrong?"

I looked into her eyes, and then wrapped my arms around my stomach. "I dunno, but that can't be right."

She shook her head and held up her notes. "I was talking to Gabriel and Trinity about Trin and Fang's parents. Gabriel said that their mother knew immediately when she was pregnant—she stood up in the middle of lunch and ran around the table, kissing everyone and saying she was the happiest girl in the world. Two days later, they found out she was pregnant. Later, in ITEX, they found out that her body released a chemical when the blastulas were growing, as a sort of pregnancy alarm. I just want to be thorough."

I shook my head, but I took the test she placed in my hands. "Impossible....Impossible...Impossible..."

"Just get it over with," Dr. M said soothingly.

"Don't these things not work early on?" I questioned.

"Elizabeth found out _two days_ after the 'fountain' effect," Dr. M reminded me. "And your body works differently than a regular human's. Just go test."

"Do I have to like…do it in a cup or something?" I mumbled.

"That, or a blood test," the evil lady said.

I groaned, accepted a paper cup, and walked into the bathroom like I was walking to my funeral.

…

I came bursting out, crying, and shouting, "POSITIVE!" in terror for the entire world to hear.

Dr. Martinez rushed out to me and somehow managed to lead me back inside the room with the door almost closed behind us. "Ana…Ana…" I didn't make out much beyond that, I was lost. A baby. I was pregnant. A baby. Oh my GOD…

I didn't respond to anything until the door opened and my head snapped up at the same moment I stopped, holding my breath. I relaxed as soon as I saw it was Jeb—if it was anyone else I would have freaked even more, but…I probably should have freaked anyway. He walked in and smiled at me briefly but went back to look at his clipboard with no look on his face but interest—the kind of face you get when you're faced with a good puzzle. He spoke briefly before we lost him completely to his notes.

"I checked the ITEX boards—it was artificial breeding. They used Trin, he's the father."

I stared, open eyed and opened mouthed at him for a whole two seconds. In two seconds my world fell apart. Again. I screamed and buried myself into Dr. Martinez's shirt. She shouted something but I didn't hear the words. She was angry. At Jeb, I think. Something about tact… I decided that _this_ was probably why Max hated him. He was a perfectly wonderful person and then BAM! Evil.

I froze again when the door slammed open a second time and Trin rushed in.

"What happened?" he demanded.

Jeb had already gotten lost in his own little world again and spoke as if it was nothing, as if he was commenting on the weather, "Ana's pregnant. You're the father."

Silence dropped on the room like a blanket, suffocating me. My shoulders shook with suppressed sobs. Trinity wasn't breathing.

Neither was I.

Fear gripped my heart. _You couldn't make that any more dramatic?_ I thought to Jeb miserably. My arms were locked around my flat stomach, hardly believing that there was a small life hidden in there that wasn't my own. This egg inside my abdomen held a human life. A tiny heart would soon start beating in its chest. Its little hands would begin to develop, and it would pop its thumb into its mouth just like one of the millions of children just a little bit older than it.

I didn't know what I would do if Trinity… If he didn't want me now. If he wanted nothing to do with me, or the baby. But I knew that I would suffer through this alone and see this child brought into the world, no matter what.

"Wha-_what?"_ Trinity's voice was pained and shaking. Nothing answered him except my sniffles and Dr. Martinez's soft hushing as she stroked my hair.

Trinity's footsteps were silent, but I could feel his body heat as he came closer. His hand touched my shoulder and I looked away, a sob ripping out of my chest. "Oh my God," he whispered, and then pulled me into his arms. He rocked me with such tenderness, such a firm hold that it loosened my jaw and made me begin bawling my eyes out. I gripped Trin's hand so hard that I might have cracked a bone or two, and I _tried_ to stop making the heart-wrenching noises, but if I held my breath they tore out of my chest a few moments later. Trinity's face was hidden in my hair, and I couldn't tell if he was crying or not.

Eventually my sobs stopped—I just didn't have them in me anymore. I pulled myself away from Trin. "Crap." I wiped my eyes and was glad that Dr. M had left and made Jeb go with her. "I was so, so _happy_ earlier…"

"I hear mood swings are common," he said gently, and continued rubbing my back.

I sighed, and closed my eyes, leaning into him. His other hand, which was smoothing my sleeve of wrinkles, slipped down my arm, following to where my hand rested on my abdomen. He covered my hand with his, and I could feel him looking down at it. I shivered slightly.

"Oh man. We need to think of names. Godparents. When I have to ask you—holy cow, I have to ask you—holy cow. I need to get my dad."

I opened my eyes and gave him a disbelieving look. He returned it, completely deadpan.

And then Angel led Max, Iggy, Ella, Nudge, Kate, KIX, Beth and Gazzy into the room; all of them wore concern on their faces. I crossed my fingers. _Please, God… Let him not come in…_

Angel opened her mouth, and that evil little tactless girl said the cursed words:

"Ana's pregnant."

Just as Fang stepped through the door.


	22. Chapter 20: Capitals

_**A/N:**__ To my readers from the Real Family: We put 'Joey' in the names list. It was so not funny, it had me splitting my sides. Seriously, wouldn't that be HILARIOUS!_ …_That, or Zach. Except Joey's worse than Zach. Joey needs to get his stupid backside off of the meebo… Um, cough. Anyway._

_**Answers to Reviews:**_

_GrimmGurl4Lyf3: _I maybe "1 HECKUVA writer" but D is the one that makes it all keep rolling, spinning, and going insanely awesomely. Without D, there would be no Wing It. Ever. Nada. Nothing. It'd probably end up like _This Side of the Universe_—discontinued and deleted. But with D; she's my sistah, girl. Give her some credit.

Everyone, say hi to D! RIGHT NOW! :D

I'm kind of glad your review button is broken. You'd have spoiled it. Be quiet.

D and I stayed up WAY late to write this. I stayed up to about one in the morning, and D stayed up to maybe three—she's like, two hours ahead of me. I think. But yeah. ^.^ I'm glad you like the story that much. I'm also glad you like Sabes/Luce. I like Luce too.

Oh, and I've never watched any of those shows, don't plan to, and none of my friends have. So all of this is purely a co-inky-dink. And keep sending the PMs, they make our day.

_Maddy Cullen: _I tried to put the first part of your review through a translator, and I got: "**t****han THAN FUCK IT IT WAS That?! WHAT?! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?! You do not have VERGUENSA Woman!**" Which I'm guessing translates to "WHAT! WHAT THE FREAK WAS THAT?! WHAT?! WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?! You do not have SHAME woman!" And I agree. I have no shame, as I said before.

You keep saying that! I'll have to do a spoof of Fang being Jacob… D and I already have an idea. Mwahahaha.

Ana getting teased? How? *innocent face*

You know, I've never actually watched soap operas before?

And so far, you two are my only reviewers for last chapter. Woop-de-flippin-doo. (Marie, where are youuuuu? And Emli's off at camp... gr.)

…_And just to let you know… I'm evil. Alright. So, try to guess what's going on in Angel's head! I bet no one'll guess what'll happen…_

* * *

I saw his eyes widen, and he stepped back—then he was by my side with Trin and the others, all crowding, bustling around, asking for information. I moved my head from Trins shoulder to Fang's as he wrapped his arms around us. My best friend still. Trin's brother. An uncle to be… I choked out a laugh and he looked at me like I was insane. I smiled and brushed the hair out of his eyes, looking at Trin with a big, goofy grin on my face, tears on my cheeks again.

"Uncle Fang."

He groaned. "That sounds so weird," Trinity said. "Maybe Uncle Fnick."

I shoved his shoulder. "Shut up. It's Uncle Fang and you can deal with it."

"Can I be an aunt, oh please say yes!" Angel begged.

"What are you going to name him?" Nudge asked. "I just know it's going to be a boy!

My mouth popped open and I looked at Trinity. "Names. Before anything else. Names."

He placed his hand on my stomach. "How many...do you think? Multiple births are more likely with us avian hybrids..."

"We can't know for a little bit," Dr. Martinez said.

"Edward for a boy," Max joked, dazed.

"Jacob," Angel chirped.

"Edward Jacob," Nudge cut in. "EJ!"

"I will not let you name my nephew after _Twilight _characters!" Kate interrupted.

"Anna Marie for a girl then! It's pretty!" Beth pitched in.

Trinity nodded. "I really like that, Beth," he said, smiling.

"Nicholas for a boy," I said, looking at Fang. Trinity nodded again. I tried to set up straighter and catch my breath. "Ok... So, Anna Marie and Nicholas, for now?"

"What if there's two boys?" Catlyn piped in. "Or two girls?"

Trinity bringing up having more than one child was earth-shattering enough. Having to think of two names was hard enough. Having to think of two more? Oi vey... "Look," I said. "Let me think about it. I just found out. Maybe I'll go on that Behind the Name site that Sable likes so much. Oh God, I have to tell Sable…"

Fang looked around. "Guys, how about someone goes make breakfast?" Iggy took the cue and he and Ella swept them all off, leaving Max, Gabriel, Fang, Trin and I alone.

"Godparents?" Fang whispered--we were all still altogether, both brothers holding me and each other. I shook my head, but I smiled.

"Beth is going to beg."

Trin laughed. "No, Sable's paired off now, remember? She'll leave us alone."

"OK, then…" I looked at Fang and bit my lip. "Would you…you know…?"

His eyes widened. "Me? Are you serious?"

I nodded, looking around at Max and Gabriel and then at Trin, my brow furrowed. "That is OK, isn't it? I'd like that, very much."

Fang nodded wordlessly, and pressed a kiss to my forehead. I sighed. "Thanks." I wrapped my arms around my stomach and took a deep breath. "OK. Now what?"

"Now, I seriously need my dad back," Trin said, and then looked up at Fang. Who nodded. Both of them had wide eyes.

Gabriel grinned. "Well then. I've got good news for you—we've recovered the tracking device's data, and we now know where the ITEX facility they took you to is. Luce contacted Sable, who contacted Beth just about an hour ago, and while she was disappointed that he would be staying in New York for a few more days, she was happy to say that he had found out that Angelus is being held in that exact same facility."

I nodded. "Then when do we go?"

Everyone's eyes about popped out of their head and Fang laughed softly. "There's our girl." Trin rubbed my shoulder.

"We'll go as soon as Gabe says we're ready. You can stay here; think of it as a brother thing." He laughed. "Fang and I can go get Dad back, and then we can inform him just how old he is, alright?"

"How's that going to go? 'Hi Dad! I'm rescuing you! By the way, you're going to be a Pops!'"

Fang snickered. "Yeah, and your other son's a ninja!" I snarked. He stopped laughing.

"Stupid insane fanfiction writers..." he grumbled under his breath. "Stupid future rulers of Canadia..."

"I love her. That girl is a genius."

"And she _kidnapped _me. You think she's a genius?"

"…Um, yeah." I nodded. "Except, well, I'd kidnap Trin over you. Sorry. He's more fun."

Fang pouted. Max smacked him over the head, and he grinned at her. "Feeling jealous?" he asked. She smacked him again. "She's probably a red-head," Fang mused, and ducked, covering his head.

I smiled. "You've got a death wish."

He shrugged, then turned to Max. "You can kill me _after_ I get my dad back," he said, holding his hands up. She thought for a moment.

"I won't kill you if you take me—just me—ice skating once you get back," she said, and I gawked at her. "I'm tired of just hanging out here," she said defensively. "And I've never been… And I just wanna get out of the house and not have to worry about the kids for maybe, an hour?" She shrugged.

Fang stared at her as if she were Max II offering to cook breakfast. I looked over at Gabe. "Hey, you wanna get Dr. M back in here to check Max out?"

Gabe laughed and turned to leave but Max glared at me. "No thanks. I'm going to go get breakfast. And maybe talk to Sable…"

"NO!" I gasped. "I'll do it myself! Please, don't tell her! She'll freak out enough if it's from me!"

Max rolled her eyes. "Fine. But tell her, soon. Or we'll all get The Look."

I jumped up, and then nearly tripped over air. Trinity laughed and helped me up. "Fang, why don't you go get the laptop?" he asked. "We'll do it in the gorilla room."

I found myself snickering. "Do you have any idea how weird that sounds? Gorilla room?"

"Well, it's true!" he protested as he flopped down onto the couch and pulled me down beside him. "Look at that hairy brute."

"Needs a name." I smirked. "How about Bruno? Bruno the Brute."

Gabriel gave us amused looks as he disappeared into his room (the large one that Fang had passed out in just the other day). Fang came back downstairs, and then sat down on the window seat, setting up the laptop where all of us could see, and where Sable would be able to see all of us as well. A few moments of silence later, and then Yahoo was booted up, Trinity logged on, and we invited Sable—who was, almost literally, always online—to a video conference. She appeared on screen a few minutes later, and beamed.

"Trin! Long time no see!"

"Tell me about it, honey," he drawled. "Just, what, an entire year since we last made movies together?"

"Yeah, Ana always hogs the conferences. Anyway. Hi, Fang, Ana… Random gorilla…"

"That's Bruno," I said.

She snickered. "What's up? I'm sure this isn't just a catch-up call."

I looked at Fang, then at Trin, and they looked back at me. "Well, I followed your advice…"

"It worked, I'm guessing."

"You're amazing for a thirteen year old, completely normal, awesome not-normal kid," I said solemnly. "Yes, it worked fine. Too fine. I think you cursed me."

She blinked. "What's wrong?"

"There's no good way to phrase this," Trinity said.

"I'm pregnant."

Sable watched them for an entire minute, silent. Then she nodded. "Guess that means you'll have to ask her, Trin," she said, unfazed.

"How can you not freak out!" I demanded, ignoring Trin and Fang, who were looking between each other and Sable in amusement.

"Well, because Spencer popped up about half an hour ago and said, 'OMG I need to tell Trinity/Ana/Everyone about what I just found on the ITEX board, why aren't they online?!?!' and told me everything."

"But still."

"Have you guys A) figured out names, B) found out how many you'll be having, C) found godparents, D) explained this to the others, E) gotten engaged yet, F)… Hey, how come they don't include F on letter lists on school tests? Anyway, F), decided what to do next?"

"They've got two names at the moment," Fang said. "Anna Marie and Nicholas."

"Aww." Sable propped her head on her hand. "That's sweet, guys."

"And no, we don't know how many yet. You'd know that, Sabes, science-freak."

"Well, you hybrids always surprise me," she noted.

"Point taken. Fang's going to be a godfather," Trinity said. "And Angel kind of did the announcing for us." Sable winced. "Yeah. She needs sensitivity training. I'm ignoring point E. We're going to find my dad first, rescue him, tell him he's a grandpa, and then I'm going to get some pointers on being a dad."

"And then?"

Trinity paused. "Mason and Bella want to leave to a safe house with Lily."

"Makes sense… Steph's is the only open house other than mine, at the moment. Alex just left for Emli's, now that she's back home."

"Mason and Bells can go to Steph's," I said. "I want to visit you."

Sable blushed. "Thanks," she said bashfully. "Dom will be happy."

"Skreee?" Dom appeared, his hair tousled—it wasn't even six where they were—and dark circles under his eyes. He wasn't wearing a shirt, revealing some new cuts on his chest.

"What happened to you, man?" Fang asked.

"He had a run in with an angry raven," Sable explained. "They don't like peregrines getting close to their nests, and they gang up on them. It's totally unfair, especially when Dom's trying to save my sis's shoe that was stuck in the tree…"

I winced. "Ouch."

"Yeah, and then the nightmares came back," Sable said, and put an arm around Dom's waist. He leaned his elbow against her head like an armrest—the picture of brother and sister.

"Skree, skreeeeeech," Dom said, clearly telling us to cut to the chase and change the topic.

"Dom, you're an uncle. Or a big brother, depends which title you want," Trinity said.

He gawked at us. And then squawked. He managed to grind out, "What the fuck," before his voice disappeared completely.

"Hey! Your voice is getting better!" I exclaimed.

He glared at me. Sable shook her head sadly. "No, not really," she said. "And neither is his language. Oh!" She smacked him on the arm, and he hissed in pain. "Language," she rebuked him.

I scowled. "You better not have a potty mouth around my kid." Dom mirrored the expression good naturedly. I rolled my eyes. "So how's it going guys? Emma give you trouble?"

Sable shook her head. "Not yet," she said quietly. "Oh man! I forgot to ask Luce if she luuuuuved him!"

Fang looked at us like we'd lost our minds--getting to be a common look around here. "What makes you think she loves him?"

"Dude." Sable gave him a Look. "It's obvious."

He frowned. "I don't see how you'd come to that con—"

Trin shook his head and grabbed his brother's shoulder. "Dude, it's a girl thing. Just nod along, don't hurt yourself." Fang sighed and nodded along.

I tried to muffle the giggles that escaped to no avail. All I could do was laugh. "You dorks. Are all guys blind?"

"It's obvious because she's not as insane as to come visit me _just_ to say that weaknesses won't be tolerated. She's concerned about Luce, doesn't like me, and wants Luce for herself. No duh."

Fang and Trin nodded in unison. "Makes sense."

"Complete sense."

I rolled my eyes. "Boys."

Sable giggled.

Of course, the peace couldn't last for long. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Catlyn burst into the room and slammed the door behind her, quickly grabbing a chair to barricade the door. She whipped around to face us. "THEY WANT TO DUCT TAPE ME TO THE CEILING!" She blinked and took us in, all staring at her in shock. She grinned at the laptop. "Oh, is that Sable? Hi Sable!"

"SABLE!" KIX's voice bellowed from the other side of the door. "You better let us in _right now,_ Catlyn, or else we'll get Max!"

"No way! If I let you in you'll duct tape me!"

"We promise we won't. We just want to talk to Sable!"

She whipped back around to us. "Does Sable want to talk to them?"

Sable nodded, eyes wide and innocent. "Very much, please," she said politely.

Catlyn scowled but turned back to the door, "You really promise?"

"YES!"

"Fine…" She pulled the chair away and yanked the door open—KIX and the others tumbled in and landed in a heap on the floor. Catlyn ran over and hid behind me.

I sighed. "You shouldn't have gone crazy with the duct tape in the first place. I mean, come on! How'd you get the ceiling?"

"You know… I can't remember…"

I facepalmed.

KIX, Kate, and Beth ran over. The others followed a little more slowly. Beth waved at Sable. "Hi! How's it going? Can you believe it? Oh my goodness!" KIX gave Sable a thumbs up from behind Beth's back.

Kate held out the ribbon for Sable to see. "Omega gave it back to me—he's on our side now, working for us from the inside. But we have to get him out of there."

"And we're going to have him join our family," I said, putting a free arm around Kate's shoulders. The others took it well; they didn't seem to be surprised. Sable laughed.

"My attic won't have any room!" she said. "We're going to have to have like, half of you stay with Steph."

"That can be Mason, Bella and Lily," KIX said. "Lily cries at night. Loudly."

I shrugged. "We'll make it work when the time comes. Speaking of time..." I looked at Trin. "When are you going to rescue your dad, do you think?"

"You keep asking that," he sighed. "As soon as Gabriel says we're ready."

"…Ana…"

"Yeah, Sabes? What's wrong?"

"You're not letting Fang and Trin go _alone_, are you?"

"No, Gabriel's gonna go with them…"

"…"

"Don't look at me like that!" I pleaded. "I'm pregnant! And the smaller the group that goes in, the less a chance at getting caught. Besides, we'll have a rescue team waiting, we'll have communicators and stuff, Gabes has all this tech stuff for this kind of thing. We're prepared, we're not stupid, just stop giving me the _look!_"

Sable sighed and looked at them seriously, shaking her head.

"Saaaaaable." I whined, covering my face with my hands. "If you have a better idea then spill it."

"You won't like it."

I glared at her through my fingers. "Spill."

"Have Trin, Fang and Gabe take Angel with them. Or have her be on the rescue team." Sable tried to look around at us to see if she was there; Angel leaned forward.

"Oh," she said, her eyes wide as she cocked her head to the side. "I see."

"Sorry, Ana, I can't tell you. Angel will let you know it all if it comes to it, it's mostly a rescue-mission idea, but she should go with the guys to rescue Angelus. You guys should wait nearby, in range so Angel can talk to you. She'll fill you in if she needs to."

I bit my lip as I looked at Angel. "You should ask Max."

Angel nodded. "But even if she says no, I have to," she said softly. "It's serious."

I nodded. I wanted to hug her so much, but I didn't. "I know you don't need me to tell you this, but be careful."

Angel and Sable exchanged glances. "You know," Angel said, "I'm going to go find Celeste." She nodded to herself and fled the room.

I leaned back against the guys. "Alright. Anyone got anything else to say--"

"Thanks, Sabes!" KIX laughed, I rolled my eyes.

Sable sat up. "So are you guys like, together?" she asked eagerly.

Beth turned cherry red and muttered something incomprehensible. KIX beamed. "Kinda. I have to-uh...Sort things out first." He glanced at Catlyn who had also turned a very light shade of pink and had stopped her latest spazz attack to listen. She immediately jumped back in when she realized we were looking at her.

"Hey! Did you know duct tape is so, so fun? You can do, like, anything with it! It's amazing! Can I duct tape Iggy and Ella's hands together just to make Dr. M and Jeb mad? It's be so funny..."

"Ooh, do it!" Sable cheered. She turned back to us. "What did Iggy and Ella do this time?"

Fang grinned. "Jeb caught them snogging again--even after Jeb and Dr. Martinez got onto them."

"And you just know that Iggy was missing a shirt and his hands were where they shouldn't be," Trin added, copying Fang's earlier remark.

Sable snickered behind her hand.

I turned to face Catlyn, who was currently getting awful close to Bruno with the duct tape—and I doubt Gabriel would appreciate it. "Hey, leave the gorilla alone. And don't duct tape Iggy and Ella together or they might just stick you to the ceiling."

Catlyn's face fell. "Awww man…"

Just then, Gabriel appeared on the stairs, a backpack slung over his shoulders. "Guys, you should start getting ready," he called.

I waved as Fang and Trin detached themselves from the group and followed Gabe away. I sighed heavily as soon as they were out of sight. "If they get themselves killed, I'll kill them."

Sable nodded in understanding. Kate put an arm around my shoulder, and Beth glomped me. "They'll be fine," she soothed. Besides, we'll have the communicators or whatever Gabe's got, and we'll be right nearby to rescue them if they get their butts in trouble."

"Communicators…" I mused. "No more Sci Fi for you."

Beth grinned. "Ok, BBC is better anyway. YAY TORCHWOOD!"I shook my head. For a moment we were silent.

"Call me, beep me, if you wanna reach me… KIM POSSIBLE!" Dom laughed as Sable broke the silence.

"Booyah." I sniggered, and then looked up as the rest of the group filled up the room. Fang and Trin had finished getting dressed, brushed their hair, scrubbed their faces, and looked ready to rumble.

Gabriel cleared his throat. "Alright. Father Aleksey has agreed to take all of you in one of your cars to just outside of where the facility is. You'll be able to communicate with us through this." He handed me a speaker, and then pressed something hidden under his hair. There was a single beep, and then he whispered something. A split second later, his voice, normal volume, came out of the speaker:

_"Test-test, one, two, three."_

Trin and Fang grinned and then reached into their hair above their ears, and there were two more beeps. They began mumbling, and then some very…interesting comments came out of the speaker. I glared at them, and they just smiled back.

Angel appeared from behind Fang. "And Max said I could go!" she said, and sounded as if she didn't believe it.

Max nodded, but she didn't look happy. "But if something happens to her, I'm killing all of you," she growled.

Fang placed a hand on Angel's shoulder. "Don't worry Max, nothing is going to happen." His eyes twinkled. "I still have to take you ice skating, remember?"

She blushed slightly, and then shook her head. "You better," she grumbled.

"I will. I promise." He leaned in and pecked her on the cheek and grinned devilishly, shouldering his own pack and pulling the door open. "Let's go."

* * *

_"Can you hear us?"_ Gabriel asked.

"Yes," I said to the speaker on the dashboard. "Loud and clear."

_"Good. Alright, we're going to be quiet now, we're in the air vent."_

Angel's voice chimed into our heads_, But the broadcast will continue!_

I laughed. _Thank you, Angel._

There was a few moments of silence, and then Angel giggled. _Luce is daydreaming about Sable,_ she told us. _And Omega's—Oooh, I'll let him tell you himself, Kate!_

Kate had jumped up at the mention of Omega's name as if she'd gotten an electric shock, but now that her face was covered in slight confusion she still had that small smile on that face. I snickered.

_Uh-oh,_ Angel suddenly thought at us. _Um, hold on guys…_ My amusement disappeared instantly as a coil of dread settled around my shoulders, and an icy hand gripped my heart._ Oh no._ Angel's voice was frightened. _The Grotesques can smell us. Oh no, oh no, oh no! They've ripped open the air vent— _"TRINITY!" she shouted out loud, and the boys' microphones picked it up.

And then the car filled with the sounds of the Grotesques attacking.


	23. Chapter 21: Deaths of the Archangels

**Ana**

I had my hands on the dashboard, I couldn't move, I was frozen—but I was shouting. "Angel! ANGEL!" I looked around wildly, trying to figure out what I could do and coming up blank. Kate grabbed my elbow.

"Ana! Please—"

_Guys? Guys, I'm ok. They're going to help me—hold on… Zachary's talking…_

I just about passed out in relief at the sound of her—voice? Thoughts? At the sound of her. But Trinity…Trinity… I covered my face with my hands. I should be there, I should be there. I should be helping—

_No you shouldn't, Ana. Stop that. Now, I have a plan. I'm going to open my telepathic link between all of your minds and mine, so that you guys can see through my eyes. I'm sorry for what you'll see… Please, forgive me…_

"Angel?" I asked, not understanding.

_I'm sorry,_ she replied, and then the link opened and I found myself standing in a completely white room.

--

**3****rd**** POV**

The scientists were long gone and listening in through the microphone in the corner of the room, making sure that the deed was done right. Luce was stationed outside, to make sure they couldn't escape—Angel had no mental control over them; their minds were surrounded by a mental wall of slippery steel.

But no matter. He was on her side. He wouldn't fight her.

She had the three of them on their knees in front of her, their hands bound painfully tight behind them. Fang had scratches all over his face, and his arms were clumsily bandaged with scraps from the hem of his tattered shirt. He'd lost a lot of blood, Angel could tell. She could hear his heart beat slowing—sputtering, almost—as he swayed. His eyes were at half-mast, his vision was blurred and fuzzy. He was fading fast.

_I'm going to destroy every last one of those Grotesques, _she thought to herself as she examined the rest of her friends. Omega, who had rushed in with the Fallen to attempt to rescue Fang and Trinity from the frenzied Grotesques, had been beaten the least in comparison to the others; he only had a few broken ribs, a rather serious concussion, and a broken tooth. Also, the blood flow to his hands had been restricted by the tightness of his bonds. He was barely conscious, bent double, and his breathing was labored.

And then there was Trinity. He had a black eye, but the swelling had gone down; nevertheless, he kept both of his eyes closed, because he too was fading into death. His injuries were so extensive; Angel didn't want to think about them. She knew he needed immediate medical attention.

But he wasn't going to get it.

"I will untie them," she said to the microphone in the corner. "They won't harm me."

So she untied all of the boys and helped them to rub life back into their hands, and she gave each of them a kiss on the forehead, despite the blood and grime and Grotesque saliva left on their skin.

_Time is up, _Angel thought to them grimly. _ITEX has no use for you, now that your DNA has been passed on._

"Angel," Fang rasped, a silent question in his eyes. His mind was nearly silent, only capable of receiving her thoughts, not producing his own.

"I am Delta," she explained gently. "I was created as the failsafe for the Archangel Project. Alpha, Beta, and Omega were supposed to be the glory of ITEX, but because of their bad luck in keeping experiments from becoming hostile to the whitecoats, because of their ineptitude at keeping experiments loyal and docile, I was created. Just in case you went rogue, or when they had no further need of you. They knew they couldn't just feed you to the Erasers, or Grotesques, or even just inject you with some fatal dosage of anything—you would survive, _somehow_. The only way they could be sure to kill you was…me.

"Now that Trinity has been bred, and Fang and Omega's biological data has been collected, you three have been rendered obsolete. They have no need for any of you."

She looked at Omega, and he looked back at her with his clear, scared eyes. "I don't want to die," he whispered.

"I'm sorry," she said in reply. "I'll make it happy for you. Close your eyes."

His lips trembled as he closed his eyes, and she carefully helped him stretch out on his back. She clasped his hands over his heart and stroked his forehead tenderly. "Goodnight, Omega," she sang softly as if she were rocking a baby to sleep.

And then Trinity and Fang knew that Omega was gone.

Trinity sighed, on all fours, his hands slipping, his face nearing the ground. "Angel," he called softly as his trembling body threatened to collapse.

She knelt by his shoulder, pulling him into her lap. "Relax," she murmured. "You won't feel a thing."

"I stopped feeling it a while ago," he replied with a weak, breathy laugh. "You've been numbing us for the past hour, I've noticed. But I know I'm dying already. Just let me die, will you?"

She shook her head. "I have to do it myself," she told him. "I have to be sure it's done right." _So that I can save you, _she thought, but she kept it to herself and those watching through her.

"Angel," Fang pleaded. "He can't die, what about his child? What about Ana?"

Angel looked at Fang carefully. "And your and Max's future children," she said mostly to herself. His face clouded with confusion. "Oh, believe me, I've seen it. It was going to happen someday. A little baby girl. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Trust me. Just be quiet now, and trust me. It'll all be over soon."

Fang shook his head, reaching out to grip her arm. "I can't let you do this," he wheezed. He exhaled, and then coughed—mucus and blood splattered onto the floor.

"You kind of have no choice," Angel replied, and slipped her arm out of his grasp, replacing it with her hand. She hugged him and then carefully let Trinity sit up by himself as she turned to face Fang. "I'll tell Max you love her," she promised, pushing him back against the wall. She pressed her face into his chest as she hugged him again. _She loves you too._

_I can't bear this,_ she thought to herself as Fang's consciousness slipped away and his heart stopped beating. _Their thoughts…They're so brave… Oh God, I can't do this again._

But she had to.

When she turned back to Trinity, there was something missing. He was stretched out on his side, partially turned on to his face, his wings wrapped around him. He would have looked just as if he were sleeping, if not for the fact that his arm was trapped under him in a potentially painful way, and there was blood on the floor by his mouth.

Angel felt like she'd been dumped in arctic water. _No!_ she thought desperately, pulling his wing away from his body, then dragging him into her lap. _I told you to hold to life! You promised you'd wait! Trinity, hold ON!_

She pressed her ear against his chest; she listened for even a faint rattle of lungs, a nonexistent heartbeat. She closed her eyes, feeling tears rising in her throat. She needed him to be _alive_ so that she could finish her job. Otherwise…

How was she going to bring him back if he had already died?

She reached out her mind to encompass all of the dwindling little electrical flashes that were still going through his body, feeding them energy. She tried to give him warmth from her own body, holding him close in her small arms, and she wished to God that she'd succeed, beyond all odds.

_Please, God, I'm sorry I'm messing with Your job, but please,_ she begged,_ don't let Trin die just yet. Let me do this. Let it work. Please, please, please…_

"An…gel…" His voice wasn't even a whisper. It was just a breath passing his lips: But it was there.

She smiled to herself, her chest full of ecstasy and bittersweet tears. _Thank you, God, thank You so much…_ "Go to sleep, Trinity," she told him a bit snappishly. "I'm missing my lunch break."

His lips twitched and his mind faded back into blissful silence.

As Angel opened the door to let Lucifer come inside, she wiped her hands on her jeans and put her hair back into a ponytail. "Bring the bodies to Angelus," she commanded. "I want to see him break."

Lucifer raised his eyebrows. "You are one devious child," he remarked, carrying Trinity's body out into the hall to be placed on a rolling table. Two others waited beside it, and soon Fang and Omega's bodies were laid on them. Lucifer took Fang's table and began pushing it down the hall; Angel gave Trinity's and Omega's a shove each, and then began walking behind the suddenly self-propelled carts.

She plastered an angelic smile on her face as she walked past scientists, who nodded at her respectfully. Some of them even cheered, some raised beakers and flasks to her in a mocking sign of their approval.

And she promised herself that they would all pay for it.


	24. Chapter 21p2: Resuscitation

* * *

**Ana**

It's hard, watching your sister's boyfriend, your friend's boyfriend and _your_ ex-boyfriend, and then your current boyfriend and father of your child, be killed by a seven or eight year old angel who you loved like a baby sister and best friend.

Even when you knew it was just an act.

I clutched Max's hand, which had my forearm in a death grip. Her eyes were full of tears. Kate was sobbing softly into Nudge's shoulder.

I leaned on Max, resting my head on hers when she leaned into me. Her eyes were closed but I could see the tears streaming down her cheeks and the anguish on her face. My own eyes were dry. I couldn't cry. It was beyond me. All I could do was hold Max as she cried, and reach out to the others. We clung to each other.

Angel's voice entered our thoughts, and it was so timid and heartbroken…

_I'm sorry. I had to._

My world had fallen apart again. For the millionth time. And so had theirs. So had hers.

_We know._

Angel was still walking down the halls, but they were dark, and the doors on either side weren't regular doors—they were cell doors; their occupants were so hopeless, they had lost the will to live; most were emaciated, and their hollow eyes stared up at the ceiling as the carts passed by. It was like they weren't even alive anymore; and some weren't. Some were just bodies, decaying, their minds having died a long, long time ago.

Kate's sobs became deeper, and I held her tighter, rubbing her back.

_Hurry._

* * *

**3rd POV**

"This is the one," Luce said, and took out a key pass that said _Zachary Moore_ on it. He swiped it in the slot where the door handle should be, and the door slid open. Luce put Fang's cart half-way through the door, so that if it closed it wouldn't be able to close all the way (he was careful not to let Fang's fingers get in the way, just in case).

The man inside the cell looked up, his pale skin caked in dried blood and grime; trails of cleaner skin revealed that he'd been crying recently. His hair, previously blond, was a sickly greenish color, and it probably smelled bad too.

Angel's nose wrinkled at the pungent smell that filled the room. It was a mix of sweat, blood, and burning hair and feathers. Acrid, bitter; it stung her nostrils.

Angelus stood up as they entered, and then he gasped. Wordlessly, he reached out to touch his younger son's forehead. Fang remained motionless—dead to the world.

Without further introduction Luce and Angel pushed in Omega and Trinity, then Angel followed. Luce came in also, but only after hanging around in the doorway to mess with some sort of keypad. Angel's heart broke at the expression on his face as he moved onto his older son, and then to the boy he hadn't known. She wanted to speak, but she couldn't. Not until Luce was sure the codes had worked and that no one could see them. Until then, they had to act the part.

She hoped it was over soon.

"Alright," Luce said. "We're clear."

Angel rushed forward and hugged Angelus, who didn't seem sure what to make of it. _We're getting all of you out of here, _she told him silently. _We have to hurry, I can't keep them not-dead for long._

His mouth popped open, then he hugged her with such ferocity that she was picked up off the ground and her feet dangled in the air. "Thank you." His voice broke from disuse, but she smiled.

"Let's move, move, move!" Luce commanded. "Angel, take the carts. Follow me, the car port is just down the left."

"I know." Angel nodded. _Be careful, someone wants to talk to you._

Luce hissed. "Emma."

"Lucifer!" The short girl beamed at him. "I just wanted to congratulate you."

"Thanks," he said.

"I was wondering… I was wondering if you wanted to come over tonight…"

Luce glanced at her. "Could you catch me in about twenty minutes, Emma? I've got to drop these guys off at the disposal unit, and then I have to take this geezer off for termination."

She pouted. "Fine. I guess I can go talk to Zachary until then..."

Luce didn't show that he was freaking out. Not even blinking, he laughed. "I wouldn't recommend that. He's in one of his moods." Both of them laughed again. "One of the Grotesques escaped and ate one of the other experiments—that plant thing he was working on for his sis."

Emma giggled. "Alright, I'll go hang with Zoe then."

This seemed to peak his interest. "I thought you didn't like Zoe." Emma rolled her eyes.

"Of course I don't. But you know how things run around here." She shrugged. "I don't like her, but I can use her, so that makes her a friend."

Luce seemed ready to say something else but Angel scowled at him. "Luce, we have to get this over with! I want my lunch break just as much as you."

He looked over at her. "Alright, alright, I'm walking," he said in exasperation. "See you, Emma."

Emma waved.

Angel rolled her eyes at Luce and sighed. "I thought you liked Sable," she said.

He gave her a strange look. "I do."

Angel stopped where she was and put her hands on her hips. "Then why flirt with Emma!"

* * *

**Ana**

I was rubbing everyone's back as we waited. Everyone was silent, watching Angel's thoughts as if they were a life line—and they were. If it weren't for her, we'd have no idea what was going on. And we desperately needed to know.

"Ana?"

"Yeah, Kate?"

"I don't know to laugh or cry."

I gave her a watery smile. "Both," I said. "Both."

* * *

**3rd POV**

Luce led Angel to a van parked out of sight behind the others. While most of the other vehicles where either expensive vehicles for the scientists or various scary looking vans like the ones in movies where they kidnapped people, this one was just a beat up minivan with only two seats: The driver seat and shotgun. Luce shrugged when Angel looked at him questioningly.

"Omega's idea—just in case anything happened. It's a lot less inconspicuous than the others. Could fit in anywhere."

Angelus helped Angel climb in, and then carefully lifted his children and Omega in after her. He got in the driver's seat. Luce shook his head. "They won't let us leave if you drive. I can do it."

Angelus seemed almost relieved as he climbed into the back, where no one would see him. Luce nodded. "Alright."

It was amazingly easy for them to leave despite the heightened security. Luce simply told the guard they where going to lunch and the guard was to busy with his own sandwich to check the van, so no excuses about delivering bodies after lunch was needed. As they drove out the Fallen on guard duty nodded at them, or even waved while holding off Grotesques. And that was how they made their great escape.

As they caught up with the van the others were in, Angel had to mentally hold the others in their seats. _We need to get to Jeb and Dr. M ASAP!_ she told them. _You can hug us once they're healed!_

* * *

**Ana**

The tension on the impossibly long drive was horrible. Luce took their van and rocketed off towards Gabe's house—directions given via Angel's thoughts—and we took off after him. All of us were about ready to jump out of our skins—or burst into tears or insane, joyful laughter.

Father Aleksey, who had been silent the entire time, his face and knuckles white, was breaking the speed limit. Luckily for us, Angel managed to either steer us clear of police, or controlled them to steer clear of us. The priest was praying to every saint he could name under his breath, asking them to clear the roads, and keep the boys safe, and keep Angelus safe and everything—it was obvious he couldn't wait to see his old friend again.

As soon as he had parked, it was like we'd all been struck by lightning. Not a single person stayed in that car—we were all out and helping move the boys into the house, Angelus leaning heavily on Aleksey's shoulder.

I rushed to Trin's side as they lay the boys out on the beds. Angel stood at Omega's side, clutching his hand. _Omega, Omega, Omega,_ she called mentally, sending out electrical pulses that made static crackle in her hair. His eyes fluttered, and a groan escaped his lips. Kate nearly attacked him as she buried her face in his chest and cried.

Angel moved to Fang next, hesitated, and then went to Trin. She put both her hands on his chest, as if she was going to use a defibrillator, and again she called his name, sending out the charges.

I cried. I wanted to drape myself over him and cry and cry and cry, but I couldn't. Not until Angel was done. Max held me, hugging me tightly, despite it being so uncharacteristic of her—this wasn't a time to worry about that, and Nudge had such a grip on my hand that I couldn't feel my fingers. I could feel when the panic set in. Was he OK? Why wasn't he waking up? Oh God, please…

He breathed. One sharp intake of breath, eyes snapping open. And I was there—probably crushing the life out of him all over again. "Trin, Trin, Trin, Trin…"

"Fuck that hurts," he groaned; I let go of him immediately. He'd dropped the f-bomb. He was _seriously_ hurt. He'd actually _died_ in there, before Angel managed to save him.

"Dr. Martinez!" I called shrilly.

She rushed over, and then I couldn't see Trin anymore, as he was hidden by her and her medical equipment.

I peered over my shoulder as Gabriel swept us out of the room and shut the door behind us. I just needed one last glimpse, of any of them, to make sure they'd be OK. I didn't get it. And we were all left alone when Gabriel went back to help. All of us, minus the adults, the boys, and Angel.

I sat down heavily, right there in the middle of the floor. Some of the others copied me; the ones that were left fell against the wall and didn't seem to know what else to do. I did. I put my hands on my face, and I did what Aleksey had been doing the entire way home.

_Oh God, _I pleaded, prayed, _please… Don't take them from me…_

_Please…_

Beth was suddenly beside me, unknowingly interrupting me and offering me hot cocoa. I looked over her shoulder and I could have laughed. She'd already passed off the tray to KIX, and everyone was getting a treat. Food was her solution to everything—she usually started with brownies. There must not have been enough ingredients.

She smiled encouragingly, and I took the cup and took a deep gulp. It burned my throat, my tongue—I yelped; but it felt good. It felt good to know I was alive, awake… And it tasted good, too.

I smiled at her: she was a God-send, for sure. "Thanks. No brownie mix?"

She shrugged. "I dunno. That's my next mission—just making this much hot cocoa was enough of a challenge since there's so many people and yet no one does dishes…and cocoa is faster than brownies—which I have a tendency to burn…" She frowned. "It's not that I mess up, I just forget about them because baking's the boring part…"

I laughed at her.

She shrugged. "Also, making cake mix cookies with brownie mix causes disastrous results, just so you know."

"I'll keep that in mind when cooking for the kids," I promised.

She nodded wisely. "You better, you can't cook how it is. The idea of you cooking for others terrifies me."

"Lucky for me, Trin is a gourmet cook," I teased.

"True." She grinned, then frowned. "Can KIX cook?"

I nodded. "He got lessons from Trin, don't worry..." I suddenly looked at myself. "The boys are dying, and I'm talking about brownies. We're so special."

"They're not dying anymore, they'll be OK." She sat up and offered me her hand. "Speaking of brownies, wanna help me make some?"

I nodded. Did I really want to help make brownies? No. Did I want to get my mind off of things? _Yes._

"Lead the way," I said solemnly.

* * *

After what felt like forever and a day later Max, Kate, and I waited anxiously outside of the guys' door, waiting for Dr. Martinez to tell us we could go in. The boys' conditions were just about stable, and we were going to be their first visitors. The others were waiting, giving us some time.

I looked down at the brownies I had made. What had seemed like a good idea before now seemed unbelievably cheesy.

A very tired looking Dr. M opened the door, and smiled warily at us. "Alright, you can come. Just remember what they've been through."

We nodded and stepped around her, only to practically run to our guys the instant we were around her. She didn't say anything, but I heard her laugh as she stepped out and shut the door.

I smiled shyly at Trin. "Hey…"

He grabbed my hand roughly and jerked me down, giving me a quick kiss on the lips before letting me go. I beamed. "Yeah. You're going to be OK." He nodded, relaxing back into his pillows.

"That's the plan." He nodded towards the brownies I was holding. "You make those?"

I blushed. "Yeah. No worries though, Beth helped me."

He grinned. "Ah, what a relief. For a second there I thought you were going to kill me." My eyes tightened and I tensed. He didn't meet my eyes. "Yeah, that was tasteless, sorry." He looked up at me with pleading eyes. "Can I have a brownie? I'm starving." I rolled my eyes and gave him the whole thing, and he dug in.

I sighed. "You know, the world would be a much better place if everyone used brownies. I bet we'd make people a lot happier if we just chucked brownies at them instead of insults, so there'd be no need for insults, so no one would be chucking, and yet everyone would be baking, and then eating, and chocolate makes people happy so then we'd have world peace!"

He shook his head at me. "No, cookies can solve every problem, get it right. And brownies are just block cookies..."

"Technicalities."

He beamed at me.

"Fighting like an old married couple," a crackly voice said. Angelus smiled at us from his own bed. I blushed.

"Not yet, Dad," Trin hushed. "Shh!" I looked between them, and then took away the platter of brownies. Trin looked at me, shocked, devastated even. "Ana!" he gasped accusingly.

"What's going on?" I demanded. "You keep saying you have to ask me something. Well, your dad's here, ask me!"

Trin grinned roguishly. "Would you really like me to propose right here?" he asked.

I glared at him, figuring he was kidding. "I'd rather you asked me here than go get yourself killed again," I said under my breath.

He raised his eyebrows. "Fine then. Since I don't plan on killing myself again, and we'll be at Sable's, I'll wait until a more romantic occasion."

I blinked, completely bemused. "You are one messed up cookie," I said.

He held out his arms—bandaged though they were. I handed him the platter of brownies, but he set that aside and then grabbed my arm, pulling me closer to him. He hugged me tightly. "Yes, but I'm in good company," he said, and his voice was choked. "I love you so much… I was so afraid I'd never hear you call me a messed up cookie again."

"You are really weird." But I hugged him back tightly and stroked his hair when he eventually let me go and returned to his brownies. I smiled shyly at Angelus. "So...you know then?"

"That I'm an old geezer soon to be a grandfather?" He raised his eyebrows in a mirror image of an amused Trinity, or blond Fang. I nodded.

"That, and that Fang's a ninja."

"I heard that!" Fang exclaimed.

"Well, you _are!"_

"'Why do I have a stick in my pants?'" Max asked in her best Fang impression. I reached over to high-five her.

Trin raised up a brownie in amusement. "Do you want me to chuck this at him and solve world hunger?"

"World peace," I reminded him.

He shrugged. "Whatever. Tastes too good to be wasted on him anyway."

Fang pouted. "So mean," he sighed forlornly.

Max shook her head and squeezed his hand. "It was _funny," _she said in defense.

He glared at her good naturedly. "Do you want to go skating?"

She glared at him. "Do you want to be able to reproduce?" she snapped.

His cheeks colored. "With you, no," he retorted.

"Oooooh," Trinity murmured. "Burn."

Max reached over and slapped him. Then she turned back to Fang, hands on her hips. "What did you just say?" she asked him.

"Nothing of consequence," he replied smoothly. She nodded. "Now, I need to tell you something… Max…" He patted the space on the bed beside him, and she sat down, frowning and saying,

"If it's anything that'll earn you a slap, you better kiss your future kids goodbye, mister."

He thought for a moment. "No, I don't think you'll slap me," and then he kissed her.

I gaped at them.

I heard Kate giggling and looked at her. Just looking at her and Omega filled my heart with happiness for them—she was shining. Both of them were. They were so happy. She smiled at me. "I still can't believe you made brownies."

"Well, Beth helped…"

"But still! With your luck…"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I'm going to be blunt. You have the golden touch."

"...Shut up and have a brownie."

"I will, thank you very much." She laughed at me again.

I looked at Fang, who was still making out with Max. "See, they're mean to me, too," I snapped.

He completely ignored me and I grumbled. It was Trin's turn to laugh as he patted my arm. "I think he's a little busy."

I sighed and looked over my shoulder at him. His eyes met mine, and his smile softened. "I'm just a bit worried about him," I said softly, so no one else would hear. "I mean… I don't want Max to be the rebound…"

"She isn't," he said firmly. "Fang adores her. If you didn't break up with him, he was going to break up with you soon enough." I didn't know whether to be hurt or relieved.

I settled for neither and buried myself in Trin's shoulder. "I missed you."

He leaned back further into the pillows, so that he and I could cuddle a bit more. "I missed you too," he replied. "I'm never leaving you again."

* * *

_**GrimmGurl4Lyf3:**__ You sound like Catlyn, sort of. xD Your reviews make me laugh so hard, you're awesome. --D_

_**Maddy: **__Sorry, the Family is a non-profit organization made up of mostly underage teenagers, so we don't have any money to pay for your funeral. We'll make Joey do it. Him and his Illuminati Avian-Vampiric Witches should have enough money for a very extravagant ceremony, beautiful flowers, and a stunning memorial service every year for the rest of eternity; at least, they should have enough money for it. I mean, they have to spend SOMETHING on all the weapons/ammo/world domination Joey keeps talking about._

_*cackles at inside jokes* --Rae_


	25. Chapter 22: Reunions

_**A/N:**__ After all that drama and action, now we began some fluffy parts. Oh, I love Fluff… Trana and Fax = luff._

_And…watch out for more drama…_

_Part of the reason for the soap-opera-ness, I think, is that the story wasn't planned out thoroughly (although we did plan it out. A bit…), said plotline wasn't rigidly preserved, and the story is mostly made up of our "flipping ideas" as D brilliantly calls them. But yes. So that's why there is that soap opera moment towards the end of the chapter. Which I came up with. So you can totally blame me. But it totally worked. Just sayin'.  
_

**

* * *

Trinity**

Dying sucks.

Even though Angel had been steadily deadening my pain receptors over the past hour, I was still conscious that I was not only suffering from broken ribs, a black eye, a concussion, a fractured wrist, too many sprains and deep cuts to count; but also that I was bleeding internally, and that I was missing a hunk of my left shoulder and my right side from where Grotesques had bitten me.

And let me tell you that you do _not_ want to get eaten by those demons.

I knew I was dying. There was no way that this blackness creeping up on me, the tunnel vision, the fuzziness of the world, the sudden _exhaustion_ that I was feeling was just that—exhaustion and tunnel vision. I couldn't even sit up; I could hardly hear, and what I did echoed loudly and painfully in my ears. Ears that were ringing with what sounded like church bells…

I forget whatever I said to Angel. I really cannot remember anything of the last moments before I collapsed. All that I can recall is lying there, sprawled on the floor, watching through half-closed eyes as my brother was 'put to sleep'. Like an animal. Put out of his misery.

My mind made some connection between assisted suicide and this, but then things got fuzzy again—and without warning, I knew I was dead. I lay there, unable to move, to think, to do anything except feel extremely frustrated. I knew I wasn't in Heaven, Hell, or Purgatory. I was just… Dead. Which was frustrating.

I got the feeling that I should calm down and wait. For some reason, I began thinking of _Princess Bride_, and some part of me jokingly thought to myself, _Hey, I hope I'm only _**mostly** _dead. That'd be funny. Miracle Max was funny…_ I wanted to laugh, but I had no air to laugh with. So, I took a deep breath—and then felt my lungs, _physical lungs_ inflate. But something was blocking the air. I choked, and coughed up something that was acrid in my mouth, and tasted slightly of blood.

And then something was calling me back, tugging at the base of my neck, as if a giant hand were grabbing me and yanking me back into life. I couldn't breathe very well, but I could feel Angel moving my body. I could feel her panic seeping through the air.

"An…gel…" My voice sounded like crap, but it was a relief just to be able to hear again, to even speak.

She said something that confused me—and then I was falling into blackness again.

Peaceful blackness.

When I woke up, all I could register was the pain. I wanted to scream, I hurt so badly. As Ana began choking the life out of me again, I could feel my body screaming at me to yell out as loudly as I could, OW HOLY SHIT CRAP WHAT THE FREAK THAT HURTS!

I didn't. All I said was, "Fuck that hurts."

Ana let go of me immediately, and then her worried voice was calling Dr. Martinez over and then I couldn't see Ana anymore. I panicked. I didn't want her to hurt me, but I didn't want her to _leave_. "No, no, no!" I moaned, and tried to reach out for her, but Dr. Martinez shook her head at me. My hand hadn't lifted an inch from the bed before my arm turned to jelly and I collapsed.

From there it was touch and go for a while. I'd wake up, panicking, forgetting how to breathe; I'd drift out of consciousness and then dream that I was falling, getting ripped apart by the Grotesques again. I'd wake with a start to find needles poking me, scissors snipping away, more needles, more injections, more bandages. I knew she was trying to help me—but it was hard not to freak out.

At one point, my father appeared. At first, I thought he was just a hallucination, and I felt tears cloud my vision. I didn't want to wake up from this one and find out I was just being poked and prodded again, just to find out that they'd had to pull us out of ITEX before we could save him. I didn't want to know we had failed, and I was dying a _failure._

And then he was holding my hand, kissing my face, tears in his eyes. He was calling my name, and Dr. Martinez was gone, moving on to where I assumed Fang was. But I couldn't stop crying—like a baby, maybe. I hadn't seen this man for ten years, or for ten years before that. The only thing I could remember about him was from a precious four hours we'd had together, that one day, when he'd rescued me from ITEX.

And here he was now, really, holding me, crying just as much as I was, telling me how sorry he was, how much I'd grown, how proud he was of me… I didn't understand it at the time, I was too bogged down in painkillers and loss of blood. All I knew was that he was there… My dad.

That time, when I drifted off to sleep, I wasn't afraid of what I'd wake up to.

We'd done it.

* * *

When I woke up next, I was refreshed. I wasn't able to push myself up on my own, but as soon as I started shaking my hands and trying to call someone's attention to me, Dad was there, helping me to sit up, taking a washcloth and wiping my face. It was an amazing feeling to look at him, see how much he looked like my own reflection, note the differences, commit everything to memory. He was thin and pale, but he was alive.

"Dad," I managed to croak out. He hugged me tightly—too tightly, but I didn't care. It was the best hug ever, in my record books. "Oh God, thank God," I managed to stutter out.

He pulled away, eyes shining again as they searched my face. Dr. Martinez appeared over his shoulder, looking older and more tired than ever. "I didn't tell him anything," she promised.

Dad looked at me in confusion, and I sighed, patting the spot on my bed beside my hand. He took my hand in his own as he sat down, smoothing out my fingers, sending shivers up my arm and bringing a fresh wave of tears into my eyes. I blinked them away rapidly, wanting to keep his face clear.

"I got recaptured," I began. "And then I met a bunch of other hybrids, my family, and we escaped together, and then we made a bunch of friends, and then I fell in love with Ana, and then we ran into Fang's flock, and then…" I explained everything in my raspy voice, right up until just this morning when we'd found out what had happened three days ago. I sort of lost my voice there, and Dad had to get up and find someone with a glass of water.

I looked over at Fang, who was sitting up, the remnant tracks of tears still on his face—surprising, considering I'd never seen Fang cry before.

"This is really awkward," I said decisively after Dad had handed me the glass of water. "Alright, so Ana just broke up with Fang, he's in love with Max _and_ Ana still, but is willing to work on Max and was going to break up with Ana sooner or later, probably not too much later, according to him…" I held out my hand for Fang, and he took it in his own bandaged fingers and squeezed reassuringly. Gripping his hand as tightly as I dared, I took a deep breath.

"Three days ago, Ana and I were captured by ITEX. We were knocked out, and when we woke up we didn't know what had happened. We escaped, and then this morning, Ana felt a 'fountain of happiness'…"

Dad's eyes widened to the size of saucers. "I'm not that old! Please say I'm not that old!" was the first thing he managed to say—what seemed like five minutes later.

"She found out she was pregnant. It was an artificial breeding—I've never, _ever_ even thought of…" I shook my head, clearing it of mental images I'd rather not see at the moment. "And now, I'm going to be a father at seventeen, and I love Ana with all my heart and soul, I know it seems too early for that, but I do love her, not _just_ the mushy stuff. And… I don't know what to do. Can we even do that when neither of us are old enough? How can I support a kid, I don't have a job, I don't even have a home. I haven't gone to school, or anything."

Dad sat down heavily in a chair, not on the bed this time. Fang squeezed my hand again. "I don't know, but I'm rooting for you to marry her," he said. "At least _propose_ to her."

I looked back at Dad, and he was nodding. "You should… And you're not seventeen."

"What?" I asked, surprised. "But you said…"

"I never said your _birthday_, did I?" he mused. "You turned _nineteen_ last September."

I gawked at him. "Does this make it statutory rape?" I asked fearfully.

He shook his head. "If it was artificial breeding, that's rape—on ITEX's part. You never slept with this Ana girl. To answer your other questions, under New York law, ages 16, 18, can be married with parental consent. In California, anyone under 18 can be married with parental consent. I'm sketchy on the details, and those are the only two states I remember from when your mother and I were researching." He rubbed his eyes. "Ana would be…eighteen soon enough. She was born in July of… I can't remember… I remember her, though. I remember them talking about both of you…" He shook his head again.

"Your safe houses should be able to help you support a kid, your mother and I have money, we also have a house out in Colorado… You can get a job easy—you probably have a pretty good education, what with the internet, and I hear that you can take online school nowadays. I can scrounge up your birth certificate, I think it's at the bank…" He put his head back in his hands.

"I'm sorry for dumping this all on you," I said faintly. "It's just…"

"No, no, it's alright," he insisted. "I'm so glad for you to be able to ask _me_—your father…" He wiped at his eyes, but he was smiling. "Have you thought of names?"

"Nicholas for a boy, and Anna Marie for a girl," I said, smiling at the thought. "We haven't thought of what we'd do if there were two boys, or two girls…"

"You have plenty of time to think," Dad said firmly. "You should be focusing on staying alive right now. You can think of names and _everything_ later."

I nodded, and leaned back into the pillows, my arms suddenly feeling like Jell-O. "You'll like Ana," I thought aloud. "And Max."

Fang grinned. "Hey, stop thinking about my girlfriend."

"Your _girlfriend?"_ I raised a single eyebrow. "Didn't you just break up with _my_ girlfriend?"

"Yes, but as you already said…"

"But that doesn't make Max your girlfriend just like that."

"Oh yeah?" Fang smirked. "I bet you that not ten minutes after the girls get in here, she'll be my girlfriend."

"You shouldn't make bets on these girls. They'll kill us. Again."

"Hey, I wouldn't be betting on Max if I didn't think I'd be right."

"Point."

"Of course I have a poi—"

"Boys," Dr. Martinez said, cutting us off. Fang turned a bit of a rosy shade, remembering that he'd been talking about her _daughter_ while she was in the room. Dr. Martinez looked at him carefully. "I'll let her kill you herself," she said—dare I say it?—evilly. It was perfect. Fang swallowed, paling.

"You have a death wish, man," I told him just before Dr. Martinez let the girls in.

Ana came in, a platter of brownies in her arms, and worry written all across her face. She set the tray down at the foot of my bed and smiled shyly, seeing me—what I count as—much better. "Hey," she said, still with the hypnotizing smile on her face.

I snatched her hand and pulled her to me, giving her a short kiss, just enough to make my lips buzz. I sat back. _Now_ I was perfectly healthy. I felt like I could run, skip, dance even.

"Yeah. You're going to be OK," she said. I nodded.

"That's the plan." I eyed the brownies. "You make those?"

She pinkened. "Yeah. No worries though, Beth helped me."

I couldn't help but smile. "Ah, what a relief. For a second there I thought you were going to kill me." Her face froze and tightened up. I looked away in shame. "Yeah, that was tasteless, sorry." Deciding it was best to change the subject, I looked back up and asked, "Can I have a brownie? I'm starving." She rolled her eyes, but gave me the entire platter. I dug in—and I nearly melted into a puddle. They were heavenly.

She sighed. "You know, the world would be a much better place if everyone used brownies. I bet we'd make people a lot happier if we just chucked brownies at them instead of insults, so there'd be no need for insults, so no one would be chucking, and yet everyone would be baking, and then eating, and chocolate makes people happy so then we'd have world peace!"

I shook my head, smiling around a bite of brownie. I swallowed and corrected her. "No, _cookies_ can solve every problem, get it right. And brownies are just bar cookies..."

"Technicalities." She did a little wave of her hand, and I beamed at her. I didn't think I could love her more than I did then. I wanted to tell her, but the words stuck in my throat.

"Fighting like an old married couple," Dad teased, causing Ana to turn a beautiful shade of red.

"Not yet, Dad!" I hurried to say, _just_ to see the confused look on Ana's face. "Shh!" She snatched away the brownies, and glared at me. "Ana!" I protested.

"What's going on?" she demanded. "You keep saying you have to ask me something. Well, your dad's here, ask me!"

I made my smile as dangerous as possible. "Would you really like me to propose right here?" I asked. _Oh, she had no idea…_

She glared at me, and I released the breath I had been unconsciously holding. She thought I was kidding. Good… Or bad, I didn't know. "I'd rather you asked me here than go get yourself killed again," she muttered.

I raised my eyebrows. Well then. "Fine then. Since I don't plan on killing myself again, and we'll be at Sable's, I'll wait until a more romantic occasion."

She blinked, totally oblivious. She didn't seem to know how to answer, and then passed it off and said, "You are one messed up cookie."

I held out my arms for her, and she handed me the brownies. I shook me head, smiling, and set it aside before pulling her as close to me as I could. My chest—aching though it was—was bursting with ecstasy and numb joy as I hugged her and said, "Yes, but I'm in good company." My voice was tight with emotion, but I didn't care. It was all I could do not to crush her ribs and hug her tighter. "I love you so much… I was so afraid I'd never hear you call me a messed up cookie again."

It conveyed my feelings almost perfectly—and yet it didn't come close to describing how I felt at all, at the same time. But Ana knew what I meant. "You are really weird," she said, but she held on to me just as tightly, and stroked my hair when I eventually let go and busied myself with stuffing my face. She started talking to Dad, and when she cracked the ninja joke I nearly spewed brownie all over the bed, caught totally unprepared for that.

I coughed and spluttered, recovering myself just in time to hold up a brownie and ask, "Do you want me to chuck this at him and solve world hunger?"

"World peace," Ana said amusedly.

I shrugged. "Whatever. Tastes too good to be wasted on him anyway."

I watched Fang and Max's exchange, inserting my tender, brotherly comments as needed. Max smacked me once before turning back to Fang; I made faces at him over her shoulder, and then my jaw dropped when he kissed her.

"Stupid idiot won the bet," I grumbled. Thankfully, only Dad heard.

I laughed at Ana and patted her arm, pulling her attention back to me. I felt my heart clench as she looked over at me; I was able to read her clearly, I knew what she was going to say. She said it anyway.

Selfless. Worried more about Max than her own feelings—by all rights, she should feel jealous and hurt by the way Fang was moving on so quickly (even though, technically, he'd moved on a while ago, and so had she).

She pressed her face into my shoulder, her arms sliding around my neck. "I missed you," she said, her voice tightening. I leaned back as far as I could and stretched out further along the bed, so that she could stretch out, or curl up to me as she wished. She settled on curling up in my arms, cuddling into my side.

I stroked her hair. "I missed you too," I said softly. "I'm never leaving you again."

* * *

After that, Ana left for a moment to get rid of the now-empty brownie platter. Kate had fallen asleep in Omega's arms, and he was attempting to braid her hair with one hand, without waking her up. It was proving to be a difficult endeavor, with the fact that his bandages kept getting caught in her hair.

It was cute. And even though she was asleep, Kate had the happiest look on her face that I'd ever seen her wear.

Fang and Max had (luckily) stopped their make out session before her mom had come back into the room. When Dr. Martinez came in, she saw that Max was sitting on the chair by Fang's bed, slouching forward, one arm crossed beneath her chin on the bed, and the other hand was captured in Fang's; he was rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb while they discussed things—it would have calmed Ana's mind that they were clearing up what she had been concerned about. I made a note to remember to tell her. Or get Max to tell her.

I looked back at Omega. "How have you been?" I asked. "Aside from the whole nearly getting killed thing, I mean."

He shrugged. "They fixed my speed vision," he said. "And after hanging out with Lucifer, I started realizing things about the world. I now realize that it was my emotions that came to fruit, but at the time it seemed as if I had been in a black and white world, and then I was suddenly plunged into a colorful one—but it was a gradual thing." He paused, his baby blue eyes distant. "The only sudden, shocking event over the past two months… Meeting Kate." A smile filled his face, and he looked down at my sister.

"If you ever hurt her, I'm killing you," I said in all seriousness.

He didn't even look at me. "I'd kill myself first," he said firmly.

I sat back and smiled. He'd be alright.

"Is Ana seriously that clueless?" Max asked me. "She thought you were kidding!"

"It's a good thing, too!" I replied. "No way I could do it now."

"When are you going to do it?" Fang asked.

I glanced between him, Max and Dad, suddenly nervous. "As soon as I'm well enough to get down on one knee?" I said, only half-joking. "Seriously? I don't know. When I'm better, yeah…" I trailed off, thinking. Right now, I wanted to board a flight to California _ASAP_. I wanted beaches, I wanted Sable's dad's cooking, the smell of her attic, I wanted to heal there. No matter how much I liked the people here—New York was gray, gloomy, and wet. And there was an ITEX right around every corner…

"I'll propose to her in California," I said finally, but my own words felt unreal. "You better heal up, Fang, and go ice skating quick so I can get this over with."

He grinned. "Hey, man, I'm trying."

* * *

**Ana**

dropped off the brownie tray in the sink, only to turn around and find another tray ready and waiting on the stove. I sighed and picked them up to take back, just knowing what Beth was trying to get through. The others headed me off outside the door to the boys' room, just about everyone fidgeting and bouncing from foot to foot impatiently—or maybe that was just Catlyn.

"Can we see them too yet?" she demanded.

"Sure," I said, shrugging. "Just don't be too loud, and remember what they've been through."

She nodded. "So basically do the same thing we've been doing, and not be myself. Got it."

Of course, as soon as I opened the door, they stampeded inside--each taking one of my brownies with them.

I trailed in after them and made my way back over to my spot by Trinity. Catlyn was already there, having gotten attached since he was the one who'd said she could stay with us in the first place. "Hey big brother." She smiled, jerking around to glare at Gazzy as he got bumped into her back.

"Sorry!" Gazzy said, and then turned back around to continue babbling at Fang. Catlyn glared at him again.

"Stupid boy, farts too much..."

"Be nice, Catlyn," Trinity rebuked her.

"Fine." She pouted. "How're you doing? Weren't the brownies awesome?"

He grinned and nodded. "Delicious. Heavenly." He shot a sly glance at me through his lashes that made my heart go funky.

"Mhm!" Catlyn nodded vigorously, and then scowled again as someone else ran into her. "Hey!"

"Sorry." KIX answered her out of habit, but otherwise completely ignored her as he pulled over a chair and grinned at Trin. "Feeling better?"

Trin could barely stifle a laugh. "Yeah, my ribs just hurt a bit. Other than that, I'm feeling pretty good."

"That's good." KIX nodded. "Everyone's going on about the brownies, but you should have seen the batch Ana tried to make by herself-OW, Ana!"

I smiled innocently.

Trinity was looking at me again, and I couldn't help but feel a bit bashful. The _way_ he looked at me, it was like he adored me. It was a new—but amazing—feeling. I looked back at him, confused but happy. "What?"

"When you smile like that, all 'innocent' and all,"—he put air quotes around 'innocent'—"you know, you look extremely devious."

"Isn't that like, a double negative?"

"Does it matter?" He pulled me down onto the bed beside him and wrapped his arms around me.

I could feel my gut twisting pleasantly as one of his hands slipped under my shirt to rest on my stomach—and then continued after a moment to poke me right above my hipbones. "HOLY COW!" I burst out. "That tickles! Stop it!"

"One condition." His smile was as devious as he'd said I'd been. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Oh?"

"Yeah." He smirked.

"What is i—Eek!" My voice rose high in pitch as he gave me another jab in the ribs.

"Would you do anything I asked you?" he asked.

"Any—thing!"

He let me grab his hand and leaned much closer to me, his breath tickling my ear. "Kiss me."

I thought about it for a moment, smiled, tilted my head and moved even closer, then suddenly thought better of it and pulled back, turning away. "No."

KIX decided to leave at that point, hurrying over to Beth, where he began whispering and giggling, pointing at Trin and I. I ignored them, too busy reveling in Trinity's expression. Catlyn made an annoyed noise and left also, instead going over to talk to Omega. I didn't blame her.

He grabbed my hand again, actually pouting. "Ana…" Normally, I'm immune to Bambi eyes or puppy dog eyes, but this was Trin, and he'd never done that. Except, well, when it came to ice cream. I smiled at the thought and turned to face him, I could feel the amusement in my eyes and the evil in my smile.

"Yes?"

"You're just going to have to humor me. I'm sick in the head. You should be all over me, pampering me." He gave a twisted grin, and his grip on my hand changed so he was holing my wrist; I allowed him to pull me a bit closer.

"You're not _sick_," I accused. "You're fine. What're you sick with?"

"I'm love sick," he said—and while it would have been cheesy if anyone else had said it, it made my heart go to mush.

"Fine," I grumbled, trying to keep up my façade; but when he captured my lips in his, it was hard to keep grumbling.

I'd temporarily forgotten that there were others in the room until I was smacked in the head. I pulled away to glare at Beth, a tattered copy of Twilight in hand. She stuck her tongue out at me. "No making out when there's more than three healthy people in the room, you have plenty of time for that later, and as good as it is for you I don't wanna see it."

Sadly, _Twilight_ has its uses. And this is one of them.

I groaned and buried my face in one of Trin's pillows. He just laughed and rubbed my back.

"We'll have our day," he promised.

"Yeah, like by the time we're _ninety." _I snorted. Don't get me wrong—I believe in all that chastity stuff. But do you have any idea how it feels to just _think_ about kissing him? _Really_ kiss him?

Trinity raised a single eyebrow at me in his trademark, _I can read your thoughts, remember?_ Kind of look. Even though he can't really read my thoughts…That'd be creepy. "I promise by the time we're twenty five our 'day' will have come," he said casually.

"Twenty five? Random number, much?"

"Nah. Statistics show that if you're married between twenty five to twenty nine, you're ten times more likely to never get divorced." He shrugged, but his expression had changed; he was thinking. "But if you put that in bird-kid years, it's earlier than twenty-five. Which means soon."

"That's good." I joked. "Because even if we did divorce neither of us would leave this flock, and now that would be awkward."

"Extremely. Who would get custody of the kids? It'd be the same as if we were still married." He grinned. "'Mommy, I wanna go over to Daddy's next week!' 'How about you go right now, he's right across the tree branch!'"

I laughed and kissed his cheek, bemused. "Mommy and Daddy...gosh."

He sighed and nodded. "Just wait. Soon it'll be grandma and granddad." He wiped a fake tear. "Oh, they grow up so fast!" he wailed.

I smacked his uninjured shoulder. "Quit while you're ahead, cheese ball."

"Yeah." He smirked. "Don't wanna make Dad feel too bad, that would make him Great Granddad."

Angelus shook his head, having heard only that last part of our exchange; Gabriel had—thankfully—kept Angelus' back to us during our very short make out session. I smiled innocently.

Angelus settled back, resting on his pillows and closing his eyes. "You are quite a character, Ana."

"Don't I know it."

He grinned and turned his head towards Gabriel. "Who does she remind you of?"

Gabriel eyed me carefully. "She does bear a certain resemblance to… Not quite…" He turned back to Gabriel. "They were the Tri-and-Fly, weren't they." It was a statement, not a question. I tensed. I didn't like what I was putting together in my head…

"That's what that Zachary said," Angelus said grimly.

"Oh God. That means that Gwen—"

"She's still alive."

"_My_ Gwen?"

"What are you guys talking about?" Trinity demanded. "Try and fly? Gwen? Who does Ana look like?"

_Thanks, Trin, for channeling my thoughts. Geeze…_

Angelus sighed and opened his eyes again; they were distant, as if lost in memory. "Gwen—she hated her name—is Ana's mother. Tri, as in three, the Tri-and-Fly are Ana, Max, and Kate. Three girls, genetically perfected to match each of the Archangel's needs, and given wings." He began speaking to Max, and I; Kate was still asleep, luckily for her. "Kate and Ana were regular baby girls, taken from their parents at early ages and modified from there. Max—you're more complicated. You are _extremely_ complicated, strike that. But Ana, I knew your mother. Her name was Gwendolyn."

I was floored, staring, jaw dropping. "What!" I shrieked. "My mom…Gwendolyn?" Angelus winced at the shriek. I covered my mouth. "Sorry," I mumbled. But—the way Gabriel had said _'My _Gwen?'… I put another piece of the puzzle into place.

Gabriel, not meeting my eyes, spoke. "You guys have probably been thinking that Ange and I are brothers, right?" We all nodded—even Trin and Fang. "We're not. At least, not by blood. Although Angelus and I grew up together, and we look a lot alike, we aren't biologically brothers. You understand; like how Ana, you and Kate are 'sisters'."

Good… That meant Trin wasn't my cousin. Crap, that's good. Crap crap crap.

Gabriel took a deep breath. "Gwen and I were married a year after Ange and Lizzy… Two years later, our daughter, Anna—with two N's—was taken from us. We searched and searched… We never found a trace of her…" His fists were shaking at his sides. "Ange and Lizzy had just lost Fang and Trinity as well. We went on a rampage through ITEX, we broke into their files; back then, it was disorganized. There was no way we could have possibly ever found you... And then Lizzy and Gwen were captured—I never should have brought her with us, she wasn't a hybrid. But she begged and begged… And Lizzy escaped, but they'd taken Gwen away and none of us ever saw her again."

I let this all wash over me, taking it in but not really acknowledging it, not yet. All I could do was stare at Gabe with one impossible thought rumbling around in my head.

"So…Dad…?" It was so weird, so wrong…Gabriel? Really? ...But it was right, at the same time. I immediately began reassessing his face, trying to compare it to my own, to find any similarities at all…

He shook his head. "Don't have to call me that if you don't wanna," he said.

I bit my lip, and then leaned back—right off the edge of the bed. I crashed to the floor, and Trin hid his face in a pillow. "God, Ana!" Fang laughed. And then Gabriel—_Dad_ was there, helping me up, cradling me in his arms. Like I'd dreamed of.

I've heard that girls with no father figures in their lives look for boys who would be that comforter. In some ways that's true; that was what Trinity was like, when he held me, when he smoothed back my hair and said it would be alright, that he was there. But it didn't beat the real thing.

My mood, which had been rising for the past hour or so, suddenly crashed. I burst into tears.

Gabriel sort of freaked out. He looked at Angelus, who shrugged unhelpfully. "I'm no good with girls!" he said defensively. Gabriel looked back at me, and sighed.

"I-I'm sorry!" I choked, trying to get myself under control but failing. I hugged him tightly and he still held me, still confused. He kept looking at Angelus for help as he tried to reassure me.

"Hush, you don't have to be sorry for anything, Ana."

I pulled back, rubbing at my eyes and laughing. "No, not for that. For just…Oh God. I'm an idiot. I'm sorry."

"Ana," Trinity said firmly. "Deep breaths."

I tried to match my breathing with Gabriel's, and soon I'd calmed down. I wiped my face on my sleeve. "I am hating this whole mood swings thing," I grumbled.

"Don't worry about it." I could feel his smile in his voice and against my hair as I was now tucked against his chest, Gabe having handed me off so that he could just hold my hand and be shocked by himself. "Looks like we've found our kids' maternal grandfather."

"Ugh!" Trin laughed. "This is so complicated."

"Tell me about it!" I looked at Gabe. "You know, screw Jeb looking like Viggo Mortenson. Gabe looks like Milo Ventimiglia. Except blond. And better looking."

Gabe flushed slightly. "You sounded just like Gwen."

I blushed as well. "Well, that's understandable." I rolled my shoulders and put on a smile. "What was she like?"

Gabriel's face lit up like the Fourth of July, all the emotions flooding to his dark blue eyes. Those were my eyes. "Hilarious. She called me goth, emo, and grumpy guss every morning when we woke up. And she had the silliest fantasies; she was an artist, and she'd draw little comics about how Prince Charming would swoop down from the heavens and land on her balcony and sweep her off to waltz in the sky—like Howl from Howl's Moving Castle. That's how I proposed…"

I blushed as the gazes of both Fang and Trin zeroed in on me and nodded solemnly. "She's her mother's daughter."

"You jerks," I grumbled, but I was filled with a certain sense of pride. It was totally irrational. I poked Trin in the chest. "You gonna propose like that?" I asked him.

"Nah. I don't think you can dance, even in the air." He stuck his tongue out at me.

I scowled at him. "Oh yeah, like you can."

"Hey, _you_ don't know," he said. "And besides. Who was the one who started our routine?" He poked me back, this time on the nose.

"You," I had to admit. "Point taken."

He paused. "I need to get better," he said forlornly. "We haven't done that in ages…"

I squeezed his hand. "We will soon," I promised him, and pressed kiss his forehead.

Gabriel coughed. "Am I supposed to tell you lovebirds to stop, threaten to kill Trin and then forbid you from ever seeing him again?" he questioned. For a moment, he held a poker face—and then I knew he was joking.

"You meanie!" I protested, and then Trin burst out laughing.

"'You meanie!'" he mocked in a high-pitched voice.

"'Meanie!'" Gabriel copied.

I smacked both of them. "Mean—I mean, you jerks!"

They continued to laugh at me and I glared at them to no avail. I turned to Beth. "Can I see _Twilight_ for a second please?"

"OK!" She picked it up off the table for a second, showed it to me, and sat it back down. "A second, there you go."

I rolled my eyes. "Please?"

"Fine…" She tossed it to me, and I held it up threateningly to the boys—because Dad _so_ counted as a boy. They shook their heads at me, still laughing.

"You wouldn't."

"I would."

SMACK!


	26. Chapter 23: Floof

_**A/N:**__ I'm looking at all these sites for fathers-to-be. They're so cute! I'll put links on my profile for your enjoyment. I can see, looking at them, that not only do they have great advice, but they're great writing fodder. I can just see Trinity playing 'airplane' with one of his kids, or tickle monster, or stuff like that. It'd be so cute!_

_I like guys who have strong paternal instincts. It's just tooooo cute._

_Of course... None of this happens yet. It's just good to be prepared. ;)_

_I apologize if I forget what Rockefeller was like. Last time I went there was two years ago for New Years (or was it Thanksgiving? I dunno; I go there surprisingly often, when I visit grandparents...) and we only got to go skating once. But it was awesome. And so anyway. Max and Fang are a bit OOC, but...well... JP is a Dangerous Oreo that Really Kangaroos and made it hard to capture what they're like. Gr. He's evil.  
_

_**Reviews:**_

_Maddy: _It helps that there are two of us, and that we (generally) only have to do maybe a line or two, which gets the other inspired and then they belt out a huge block of text, which inspires the other… And it's a whole cycle of flippin' brilliant ideas. It's fun, too!

* * *

**Ana**

It was a week after everything had happened. Fang, with his miraculous healing abilities, was out of bed and able to relocate himself without much help from Max. Not that she was going to let him anywhere out of her sight, now that they were practically glued at the hip… Omega was fit as a fiddle; Jeb had even gotten him a fake tooth or something, and now his smile was as perfect as ever. Kate didn't care though. He could have been Frankenstein for all she cared, and she'd still have been holding hands and giving him doe eyes.

Trin wasn't so lucky. He'd actually died. And come back. But he wasn't going to be leaving bed anytime soon. And that was fine with me—taking care of him made me feel good, it gave me something to do. And from what Dr. Martinez told me about how babies can recognize their parents' voices, I wanted to talk with Trin as much as possible. Dr. Martinez had told me that one of her friends had played recordings of her husband reading books, all during her pregnancy, and when the baby girl had been born, whenever she cried, the dad would come up, say, "I'm here, it's alright," and the baby would calm down immediately.

That would make my life so much easier, if Trin had the Magic Voice like that.

I was with Iggy and Ella in the kitchen—getting cooking tips from Iggy for once. He was making a pie—or he was supposed to be. He seemed to have forgotten all about me though as he held Ella, having just caught her from falling and being a "real Prince Charming" according to Ella. I rolled my eyes, not that either of them noticed. Oh brother.

I decided to ditch them and go find Trin. He'd been moved upstairs, to a cleaned out room in his dad's part of the house. Which was much nicer than the downstairs improvised hospital. The bed was bigger too, which meant more room for snuggling.

And we were doing a lot of that lately.

didn't even knock when I entered, usually it was just me and his Dad who came up here, but sometimes someone else would wander up even if it wasn't that often. Something about this part of the house made them nervous, like because Angelus hadn't been here and we'd all stayed in Gabriel's part of the house so long this had become forbidden territory.

I smiled as I entered the room and shut the door softly behind me. Trin was dozing lightly, and the way the light hit his hair made him look beautiful. I slipped onto the bed and snuggled up to him, smiling as he opened his eyes and looked at me. "Hey sleepyhead," he yawned.

I reached out and tried to get his bangs out of his eyes. "Hey," I replied simply.

He stretched, and then he let his hand rest on my stomach. "And how are we today?"

I smiled and covered his hand with my own. "Full," I replied. "Gorged myself on green tea ice cream.

Trin laughed. "Did you leave any mint for me?" I grinned.

"Nope."

"Darn."

I poked his nose and then held up a book I'd brought: Dr. Seuss' _Sleep Book._ He loved this book, I liked it well enough, and it was something to read, and it had been free at a local library's cleanout.

He propped himself up on his elbows and I opened the book to the first page. "Do you want to read first or should I?" I didn't have to think about my answer as I nestled into his side again.

"You."

"_The new just came in from the county of Keck that a very small bug by the name of Van Vleck is yawning so wide you can look down his neck. This many not seem very important, I know. But it **is.** So I'm bothering telling you so."_

As Trin turned the page, I was smiling. Trinity had an amazing reading voice. It was deep and level and calm, and he had just the right inflection that made this book fun.

I didn't look at the book as he read, instead I let his voice become a gentle lull in the background as I watched him--the way his eyes followed the words on the page and the way the words rolled off his tongue…and the way he smiled when he saw me watching him.

Eventually, he finished, closed the book, and leaned down to press his ear to my stomach. We had no idea about how the development would go—nineteen years ago, they didn't have such advanced technology available for bird kids on the run, so keeping track of prenatal timelines was sketchy at best. Same with my parents; though they hadn't been on the run as much as Trin's parents, they hadn't exactly been chummy with doctors.

"The hearbeat is three to four months, the site said," I reminded him. "That's still like, a month away at the rate we're at."

He shrugged, giving my stomach a kiss.

I looked away at the door, my blissful smile turning into a slight frown. "We're so peaceful…what do you think they're up to?"

"Making out," he replied immediately.

I rolled my eyes. "Gasman? Nudge and Angel? Catlyn?"

"Nudge and Angel will probably be making out with their posters of RPatzz and Taylor Lautner," Trinity reminded me. "Gazzy will be moping around, and then he'll start talking to the adults about stories from their 'glory days'. I don't know about Catlyn. Maybe she's working on her entry for the duct tape prom outfit contest."

"I wouldn't blame them for Taylor Lautner, but RPatzz is the ugliest thing I've ever seen in my life. And how much do you wanna bet she's mummifying Bruno as we speak with that duct tape of hers instead?"

"You know, if that insane woman Hardwicke really wants one of her 'usual' actors to play Fang, she should have Taylor Lautner. Not a good fit, but better than RPatzz. He's got the right skin tone. Sort of. Not quite." Trin thought for a moment, shrugged, then answered the rest of my question. "Poor Bruno."

I nodded. "Thought so--what do you think she'll move onto next?"

"Beth."

I shook my head. "No, remember what happened last time Beth messed with Duct tape? It took forever to get you off that wall…"

"And a day longer to get it out of my hair. We had to cut most of it out, remember?"

"Yeah, you looked like Buzz Lightyear."

"So, I guess they're evenly matched," he mused.

I laughed. "With KIX stuck in the middle."

He shrugged. "I think Catlyn's accepting that now, actually. I don't think she has the attention span needed to hold a grudge."

"True." I snickered. "She's an airhead."

"But a strangely magnetic one." We both nodded in agreement.

"I guess we all have our quirks." I reached for the book and he handed it to me, and I set it on the nightstand, choosing to turn and smirk at him rather than get up and put it away. "But you are probably the quirkiest."

"Is that even a word?"

"Surprisingly, yes. I think Fang had to sweet talk the dictionary person or something, but it's a word."

He laughed and held out an arm. I let him pull me onto his lap, facing him. For a moment he just looked at me, and then he pulled me closer and grinned. "I hope they have your eyes," he said. "I don't like mine. But yours…"

I kissed him, causing him to shut up. "I like your eyes, and of course the baby will have mine at first. All baby's have blue eyes at first, right?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, we should ask Sable, and then again it's different for us avians. Look at Lily."

"True."

"Of course it's true." He reached out and tugged me back for a kiss. Soft and sweet—just like Trin. Somehow, it wasn't fulfilling.

Being the mind-reader he was, he pulled me closer, so that we were both lying on our sides on the bed, bodies practically entwined. I had my fingers tangled in his hair, and he was pressing me as close as he could to him; his hands were light, however, giving me the option of escape. Like I _wanted_ to.

Not.

I pulled him on top of me, slipping my hands up his shirt. Hey, we were practically married! I was having his freaking kid! I could get away with this stuff. Right?

Well, I might have, if it hadn't been for the fact that somehow or other we accidentally bumped his injured shoulder, and he yelped like how KIX does when you step on his tail.

I let him go immediately. "Sorry! Are you OK?"

He nodded, but there were pained tears in his eyes. He knelt there, above me, one hand clenched on his shoulder, the other propping him up. Finally, the pain seemed to wear off and he lowered himself onto my body, hugging me tightly and resting his head under my shoulder. "Now I feel like a hurt puppy," he groaned. "All empty inside. Wah."

I swatted him on the head, but hugged him back. "Hurt puppies don't get ice cream."

"Oh?" He looked at me. "I thought there wasn't any left."

I smiled. "There wasn't any mint chocolate chip to begin with, but if you'd like vanilla…and there are Oreos…"

He leaned up to kiss me again. "Alright, I'll let you leave. But you have to promise to get back soon," he murmured.

I felt my face begin to heat up. "Can't walk, still?"

He shook his head sadly. "If I could, I'd be dancing with you right now."

I sighed. "I'll go get the ice cream."

I made my way out of the room without further ado, only to be grabbed and pulled to the side the instant Trin could no longer see me. I bit the hand over my mouth just as the door swung closed. "Ana!" Gabriel--Dad hissed, catching me off guard. He let me go instantly but still kept his voice down. "Calm down."

"Maybe!" I hissed back, my hands on my hips. "If you tell me what that was about!" For a moment, he was silent.

"Would you believe me if I said you sounded exactly like your mother again? I must have been deaf before…" He sighed as I continued glaring and raised up his hands in an attempt to calm me down. "Hush, I need to talk to you. Can we talk?"

I shrugged. "We're talking now," I said, but toned down the snark.

He nodded, acknowledging I was right. "Yes, but I mean really talk." He glanced back at the door. "Preferably where there are no other ears, but considering this involves him...I don't know." He ran a hand through his hair, seeming at an utter loss for words. "I've never had to play this role before, never had the chance, and I always expected I'd be threatening the boy..."

"But in this case he's a good guy, and your brother's son." I nodded. "I can understand that. Let me set my personal ground rules: No tongues, no hands up _my_ shirt, no hands down any pants. All clothing remains on at all times. Edge of shoulder under the wing, or close to the spine underneath the wing, off limits. Really hot and heavy, out of the question—I'm not risking unlocking Alpha. Beta was bad enough. Besides, I'm pregnant, remember? And don't worry. Trinity is like, as celibate as a monk. Not really, but you get what I mean?"

He nodded uncomfortably. "Yeah... Well, remember that." You had to pity the man, this couldn't be easy.

I hugged him tightly. "Thanks, though," I told him earnestly. "Really."

He rubbed my back. "Yeah. You're welcome." He held me away from him and smiled. "I think you should get the poor kid his ice cream now."

"While you go in there and scare the living daylights out of him. Good idea, Daddy!" I ran off before I could see his face. The extra D-Y I'd tacked on to the end of 'Dad' had been completely accidental. I'd sounded like a goofball.

But it felt nice to say it.

I couldn't help smiling to myself like a complete dork as I got the two bowls full of ice cream—I wanted some too!—and grabbed my secret stash of Oreos. Normally, I wouldn't share them, but I felt generous right now. When I got back upstairs, Dad was nowhere to be seen, and Trinity was grinning like heck. I handed him a bowl. "Spill?" I asked.

"No way." He snorted.

I scowled. "Please?"

"There are some things you really don't want to know about men, Ana," he said solemnly.

I sat on the bed next to him and held the ice cream just out of his reach. "You want it or not?" Of course he grabbed my Oreos and just gave me one of those looks. "Oh, fine. Here. But fork over the Oreos."

He did. After taking a handful and crushing them over his bowl. I muttered at him. He raised his eyebrows at me. "If you didn't want me to eat them, you shouldn't have brought them in the first place."

"I was going to share with you until you started being all tight-lipped."

"Can't be helped." He shrugged.

I sighed and shook my head, deciding to give up. _"Guys. _Gosh."

"We're not as complicated as girls."

"Tell me about it." I felt like glaring at myself. "I can't figure myself out anymore, sheesh."

He laughed with me and reached over to add Oreos to my own ice cream. "Just eat, Ana."

Sometimes Trinity has the greatest advice in the world. We set the bowls on the nightstand along with the book when we were finished, and I simply laid back and let him stroke my hair. "Trin?"

"Hm?"

"It's seriously too quiet."

"Ana!" He groaned.

* * *

The reason why Fang and Max were so quiet was because they weren't even in the house. They were down at Rockefeller Center, renting skates and putting them on. Max was having a hard time with hers, so Fang silently knelt down and helped her.

"No problem." He grinned at her. "Just learning, after all. And it's not like I would mind anyway. It's nice helping you for once, Miss Ride."

He held out a hand for her, but she ignored it, and stood up, clunking her way to the door to the rink. Fang followed her more gracefully; as she hung on to the edge of the rink and attempted to get her balance, he simply skated out into the sweeping crowd, did a quick lap, and then slid to a halt beside her.

She stared at him, open mouthed. "Since when can you skate?"

He shrugged. "Since now."

"Typical." She held out a hand. "Well, since you're so great..." She blushed again and he laughed, so she plowed on with her words. "Oh, just teach me already."

"OK, come away from the edge." He pried her away from the wall, and showed her how to stand. "Knees bent slightly, like this. Now, just slide one foot forward, then the other. Ever roller-bladed before?"

"At Mom's, yeah, with Ella once…"

"It's just like that. Move your feet in that sort of V-motion. Try it."

Max wobbled dangerous. "Maybe this is a good time to mention that I stunk at roller-blading?" Fang laughed and caught her elbow as she began to topple over.

"Well I wasn't there was I? Trust me, you'll do fine."

"Easy for you to say. You're a freaking ballet dancer."

He smirked. "I have to say, that line was a stroke of genius."

"Yes it—WAS!"

Max had taken two steps, and then slid forward perfectly. Fang clapped. "Perfect, Max!"

"Luck." She huffed and blew a strand of hair out of her eyes. "And you know I don't have much of that. Now watch me fall on my butt."

"Come on Max." He skated around her in a circle, still smiling. "Stop snarking and come on. You're the amazing, indescribable Maximum Ride."

"I'm pretty sure that both 'amazing' and 'indescribable' are descriptions," she grumbled, but after that kept her mouth closed as she took two more slides—and then Fang was keeping up, and soon they were racing, laughing, sliding to stops and slamming toe-hand-first into the walls, just for fun.

Eventually, when he began to become tired from all the racing, despite how much joy it brought him to see her smile, he grabbed her hand when she tried to take off again and pulled her around so that she was beside him again. She pouted. "What?"

"I'm wiped. Hot chocolate?"

She thought about it for a minute, and he saw the battle on her face. Stay here and skate some more or hot chocolate. Yummy hot chocolate. Possibly with marshmallows. She nodded vigorously. "Yup."

They carefully stepped back onto solid ground, and it was hard for Max to keep from moving her feet in the sliding motions she had been for the past hour or so. She grinned as Fang tripped and only barely caught himself before he did a face-plant into a bench.

"Smooth, Fangalator."

He scowled. "I told you not to call me that."

She shrugged. "Ok then, Mister Ninja."

"Better," he sighed, and patted the bench next to him. She sat down and set about the task of untying her shoes.

After a few seconds of watching her he followed suite, and a few near silent moments later they'd traded their skates for their regular shoes and were making their way over to get some hot chocolate.

Fang bought two paper cups, with marshmallows, and even if it wasn't the best hot chocolate in the world it _was_ delicious. Max exhaled after her first sip, throat pleasantly warm after breathing the cold air for so long.

Fang copied her breathing, and Max eyed the giant white cloud that passed his lips. She grinned, took another sip of her cocoa to warm her up, and then exhaled through her nose. "Look! I'm a big scary dragon!" she teased.

Oh yeah?" He grinned. "I bet I'm scarier." He took a big gulp, crossed his eyes, and exhaled in a huff—AKA making the funniest face Max had ever seen him make. She sniggered.

"Oh goodness, the ninja has a sense of humor. Who knew?"

He stuck his tongue out at her. _"I_ did."

She smiled, eyes twinkling. "Of course."

He took her hand and they strolled off towards a giant candy cane. "Max…" He paused, and then looked at her piercingly. "Could you… Just tell me if I'm doing something wrong, OK? I want to know if I'm getting too mushy for you, or something. Like, what was I doing wrong the times I kissed you and you flew off?"

She looked away, smile gone as she bit her lip. "I don't really know what you were doing wrong, I don't think it was you…It was me, I wasn't really there yet and…it just felt like you were pushing to hard." She looked back at him, brow furrowed. "I don't think I'll run away anymore. I don't think that'll be a problem any more. I'm starting to like the mushy."

She was so dead pan when she said that last bit he couldn't help but grin and pull her close in a tight hug--careful not to spill the chocolate. "That's good. Very good."

She blushed. "I mean, I can still kick ass and have mushy moments, right? Like Trin, sort of."

"Dude. He can kick serious ass." Fang winced at a memory.

Her brow furrowed in confusion in response to his wince. "So can I. What's wrong?"

"Got a memory of the Coliseum, that's all."

"Ah." She frowned. "Sorry."

"Nah, it's fine."

She scowled, sipping her hot chocolate. "Wonderful way to change the topic. I'm an idiot. Sorry."

He sighed. "Max, you're not an idiot. And if you are, you're _my_ idiot, so stop self-bashing."

Max looked at him for a minute, thinking, studying his face...Then she nodded. "Fine." He stared at her in disbelief.

"Excuse me?"

She was exasperated. "Well, there's no point arguing with you, we both know how well that works by now."

Fang stared at her. "Are you sure you're alright?" he demanded, flabbergasted.

She smacked him. "'Why do you have a stick up your pants'?" she snapped.

"Because I'm an awesome ninja of course, duh."

She felt her temper rising, and she knew that she shouldn't get mad. She held up a hand and closed her eyes. _Calm down, Max,_ she told herself. _The stick in the pants thing and his comeback were funny, not meant to be an argument… Calm down…_

_Good job, Max! _the Voice applauded.

_Thanks, _she couldn't help but say; the Voice was silent again for the moment.

"Max!" He took the hot chocolates and sat them on the bench, spilling them a bit and turning to grip her shoulders. "Max, you ok?"

"'Yeah. Hold on." She kept her eyes closed. They stood like that for a long moment, Fang's tension becoming tangible. She suddenly snapped her eyes open and pecked Fang on the lips, beaming. "Ok, I'm good."

He scowled. "Not funny."

She looked at him, nodding slowly. Her eyes were dead serious again. "I know. But I'm better know."

There was a long, heavy moment of silence in which he didn't let his grip on her shoulders lessen. "Max II?"

She nodded slowly, giving him a 'Duh. Who else?' face which really wasn't fair--She had The Voice after all.

He sighed and looked down at his hands, which were stinging and now pretty sticky. "Yum, hot chocolate covered fingers," he said sarcastically.

Max grabbed his hand and touched it to her cheek, then she liked one of his fingers, seemed to think about it again, and nodded. "Yup. Still good. Ninja flavored."

She looked back at him when he didn't laugh—or have a witty comeback—and found that he was staring at her, a flush that wasn't just from the cold gracing his cheeks. She tilted her head to the side, confused. She couldn't think of anything she'd done to make him blush. Let alone that Fang could blush. "What?"

"Your tongue feels _really_ weird," he managed to choke out.

She raised her eyebrows. "That's because it's out of practice," she replied smoothly.

He reddened further—to her giddy, evil delight.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder as she breathed into his ear, trying for all the world not to look as scared as she felt and hoping that Fang would get even redder as she spoke. "You would know, Fnick."

He shuddered—actually shuddered!—and it was all she could do to keep from laughing at him. She leaned closer to his jaw, so that her lips brushed his skin as she spoke. "How about we practice?"

He pulled her away enough to kiss her roughly, but no tongues were involved. Nevertheless, she felt thoroughly satisfied when they finally pulled away.

"Was yours peppermint hot chocolate?" she questioned, wiping some of her hair out of her eyes and wishing she had gloves.

"Yeah." He smiled, euphoric. "Not that it would be fair for me to guess yours, considering I'm the one who bought it."

"Maybe I should start stealing Nudge's flavored lip gloss," she teased.

"I think that would be a little too girly," he shot back.

She shrugged. "All well."

Fang looked up at the sky. "We should probably be heading back… Any idea when we're leaving for California?"

"As soon as Trinity can walk again." Max took a sip of her hot chocolate. "Where's your dad been, by the way? I haven't seen him lately."

"He's settling things at the bank, and all sorts of adult stuff. He's been in and out of the house—via the roof. Hasn't come downstairs."

She nodded absently. "Makes sense. After what he's been through it'd be hard enough to adjust back into a normal household, not that mess--did you see the gorilla thing before we left?" She shook her head and laughed. "How in the world does that girl get all that stuff on the ceiling?"

"Poor Bruno…"

"Bruno?"

"Bruno the Brute—The gorilla."

"Ah."

"Yup."


	27. Chapter 24: Having Fun Wasting Time

_**A/N:**__ I added an ages list to chapter 1 of this fic, because Emli forgot that Trin/Fang/Ana/Etc. weren't all fourteen. So, just to let you know…_

_Oh! You guys need to go to my profile and vote on the poll up at top. The question is:__** How many children, and what combination of genders, should Trinity and Ana be having?**__ Please vote! :D_

_This is mostly a filler chapter, to kill time until Trin's ready to go. And while we come up with things. But yes. Anyway…_

* * *

**Kate**

Let me tell you something about the adults around here.

I like Gabriel a lot. He's funny, sweet, and he looks _really_ good. He's the perfect uncle—you know, the one that is handsome, athletic, funny, and will give you presents and advice and jokes if you ask for them. But you don't see him so often, so you don't know if that's the real him. You don't know if he's just putting on a show for you, because you're family, or if that's really how he is.

Trin's dad is cool! He can't fly straight, because his wings were burned pretty badly during that fire, but he can keep up with me when I go out through the roof. His feathers are growing back, thankfully, and with a bit of exercise and food, he'll be good as new. He's got Trinity's smile, and he'll definitely be a good dad. Not that Trinity needs it right now—he's lasted so long without a dad, most of the chances for Angelus to _be_ a dad have gone. Trinity tells me that that's not true, and that he needs a dad more than ever right now, because he's got no "flipping idea what the hell he's supposed to do" with a baby of his own. I don't believe him. Trinity's a natural with children. But I can see where he's coming from, I guess.

Jeb is nice, I suppose. But if he gets involved with something scientific, new, and interesting—that concerns us, who he considers his children—he gets a bit out of it. He doesn't make the best decisions, hasn't in the past; but he does it out of love. He really loves Max. But Max kind of… She kind of hates his guts. To use St. Fang of Boredom's Fang's Words: She hates him "like a flyboy breaking into a church on Sunday mornin'".

The reason why Angel can't read his mind, why she can't control him? My speculations are that he was dead, and another person like Angel stimulated his body and brought it 'back to life'. It would explain a lot. And it's been done before. Not like how Angel put Trin, Fang and Omega in temporary 'dead' states (where she actually told me she just had them play dead, like Max did once). But like, Jeb seriously died, I think, and was re-animated. Our friend Steven did that to his girlfriend Stephenie once, after she'd drowned in a fountain… But Steven's dead now, and Stephenie has a home, and a family; she's one of the safehouses for us.

And then there's Dr. Martinez. She's nice, and a good cook, and a good mom. I guess. Jeb and Dr. Martinez are both very nice people, but they're not the _best_ people. I don't like them as much as Trin's dad and Gabriel—Dr. Martinez and Jeb have both made a bunch of mistakes, and although they've 'made amends' and 'changed', they're both still kind of wacked out. They're too normal for me. I guess I'm used to super GOOD people, and not just…normal people _trying_ to be good. I dunno.

Mason and Bells are awesome too, but they haven't been the same since Lisa, Anthony and Cedric died… Cedric, Lisa, and Anthony were awesome. I travelled with them for two years, so I knew everything about them. They told me they felt like I was a niece, or maybe even a daughter to them. They even said they were going to call Lily, Lily Kate. I don't know how to bring that up with the others, though. I don't know if they know, and it would sound too self-centered to say it on my own…

I sighed to myself, still thinking, letting the cogs whir and spin…

I jumped as Omega draped his arms around my shoulders; he was standing behind me as I looked up at the sky, lost in thought. We were out in the garden. I'd needed a place to think away from the chaos inside and the garden had become my sanctuary of sorts. I'd worried needlessly about him not being able to be here with me, only for him to point out that he was an experiment just the same as I was and climbed up to the roof with me, only to jump down and scare me half to death—he'd been fine though. He'd laughed.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked.

I turned to him and put one arm around his waist. "Everyone I've met lately, mostly the adults," I replied, and shrugged it off. "Decided on a name for you yet?" I asked him curiously.

He shrugged. "What name would you like?"

I thought about it for a minute, and then I fought hard to keep the laughter out of my voice. "Joey."

"How come I have the feeling that I'd be laughed at for the rest of my life by all of your friends if I was named 'Joey'?"

"Oh. Would you like Liam better?" I couldn't help but laugh then.

"OK, what's the story here?" He turned me around to face him. "Who're they?"

"One person." I sniggered. "He is Psycho Commando. Avian-Vampire of the Illuminati, with a 'witch' for a sister, who is actually his great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother, a pentagram on his back that 'locks away what truly should be', and he's masochistic, insane, psychotic, and won't leave the Family alone. He even tried to convince Spencer that he was his father for a while. He still believes it, even though Spence keeps telling him it's not him. It's really annoying."

He rolled his eyes. "Well, as nice as that is, Kate, I don't really want to be a psycho commando. Got any other names?"

A muffled, furious voice shouted, "YOU DANGEROUS OREO!" and I turned around to try and see through the window—but the curtains were closed. It was clearly Beth, however, probably yelling at KIX. I turned back to Omega, grinning suggestively. "Dangerous Oreo?"

He rolled his eyes. "You are crazy."

I shrugged. "And you love me for it. Um…I don't know. How about Eric? Robert? Edward? James Patterson—now you know that one is funny."

He shook his head. "Kate, be serious."

"James, Jason, Jack, Joeee-seph," I caught myself, and then bit my lip, trying to hide a smile. "Tom, Dom, Damien… I like Damien, Jason, and James. I dunno. Then there's always Taylor, Jacob…"

"_Twilight_ guys and actors. Great."

"You know I'm joking about that, right?" He looked relieved. I smacked him. "Come on, choose already! Or do you want a Welsh name, like Cadfael or somethin'?"

He seemed amused. "Do I look like a Cadfael?"

I shook my head. "No, not really."

"Then what do I look like?"

"Jason, or a Damien. But Damien's too close to Dom. I like Jason."

"Then I guess I'm Jason."

"Jason _what_ though, is the question! We all have social security files and stuffs like that, full names, we're real people. You still don't exist. You need a middle name, and a last name."

"Can't I just be Flyte?"

I gave him a look. "What happens when we get married? We'll have the same last name."

"I don't see the problem—"

"The girl takes the guy's last name. There's generally a change there."

"Not always," he teased. "Some couples have the very same name to begin with."

"Like Johnson and Johnson, or Smith and Smith, I know. But with such a unique name as Flyte, it'd be really weird."

"Not as weird as the people who had the _exact_ same first and last names that just got married. Did you see the article on Yahoo!?"

I nodded. "True, true…"

He sighed. "But you still want different names. I could be…Andrews? Jason…Lee Andrews?"

"Mrs. Kate Andrews," I mused.

He nodded, wrapping his arms around my waist. "Like it?"

"Dunno about the Lee part," I said airily. His face changed immediately, worried, fearful. I stood on my tiptoes and let my wings envelop us, bringing my head closer to his, unworried about watchers. My lips brushed his cheek. "But that's no reason to stop loving you. I love you, I don't care about the names, don't worry. I won't leave you over a _name_, silly."

"Then why make such a big deal out of it?" he breathed. "What would fit besides Lee?"

"Maybe Levi…"

He shook his head. "Can I kiss you?" he asked, interrupting my sudden mental listing of names; my thoughts disappeared, blanking out. It was all I could do just to nod. He pressed me gently back against the corner of the wall, where it was driest, and that was pretty much the last thing I remembered before I entered Heaven.

* * *

**3****rd**** Person**

"Can I help?" KIX was trapped sitting on the counter as Beth went on a brownie war path.

"No." She scrubbed a pan with a bit more force than necessary and wound up getting soap suds everywhere as she glared at him. "I'm actually doing this so I won't strangle you. Try again later."

"Well…" He fidgeted. "Why don't you do laundry or something instead? You've made a ton of brownies already."

She rolled her eyes. "And with everyone's appetites, they're greatly appreciated! Now do your own laundry."

"That's true. Iggy's not cooking so much…" He mused for a minute, and then scowled as he remembered what he was doing. "And I've already done my own laundry. I just want to be with you. Look, just listen." He slipped off the counter and stole the carton of eggs from her, forcing her to acknowledge him. "You have ears, you have to," he teased, a sweet smile trying to win her heart. He won.

Beth folded to the puppy eyes KIX had nailed to perfection.

"Fine…I'm listening."

His smile warmed even further when he saw her lips also twitching into a smile. He took a breath, apologies were never easy. "I'm sorry…about before. Really." He ran a hand through his hair awkwardly. He had no idea how much he resembled a cute, lost little kid. "I really am… Sorry." He sat the nearly forgotten eggs on the table. "Forgive me?"

She crossed her arms, she may not have been looking at him directly, looking at the floor more than anything, but he could see that the smile was now firmly in place. "Yeah…I'm sorry I called you a dangerous Oreo. It was nothing—blame my bipolar roots."

He laughed. "That's OK. Besides, I knew you couldn't mean it. Wanna know why?" He took a step closer to her and wrapped his arms around her waist gently. She finally looked up at him, curiosity winning out.

"Why?"

"Because Dangerous Oreos Really Kangaroo, I don't remember any kangaroos."

She smiled. "Yeah, well, you wouldn't."

"Hm… Maybe, maybe not." He leaned in, and he would have kissed her, but she jerked away at the clearing of a throat.

He just barely managed to suppress a groan as he let her go to face a smirking Jeb. "Hey!" He waved.

Jeb just kept smirking. "I came in here for sweet tea. Looks like I walked in on something sweeter."

KIX gave him looks of sheer disbelieve. "Oh you—"

"Just get him his tea, KIX." Beth had already gone back to her other chore, bright pink. Jeb stood watching them in the doorway, and KIX grumbled under his breath as he got Jeb's tea, scowling the entire time; he heard Beth put the brownies in the oven as he poured Jeb's glass and turn to give it to him.

"Here's your tea. I hope you're—" He gaped as Beth came over and kissed him, only to hurry on down the hall giggling before he had a chance to do anything. He gaped at Jeb. "What…?"

Jeb shrugged. "Girls."

"Is there something wrong with that?" They both jumped as Dr. M seemed to materialize from nowhere.

"Hey!"

"Sorry Hummer." She laughed. "I just wanted to know what was taking so long." The sidelong look she gave Jeb made it clear that despite her light tone she'd been wondering if he'd caught Iggy and Ella again. KIX flushed. He did not want a talking to like the one they'd been given.

"That's ok. I'll just—go follow Beth. Yeah. See you!"

They laughed as he took off down the hall.

Sometimes I space out in a daze, my eyes tune out the other way, I may switch off and go on a daydream.

* * *

**NuTex – Living Quarters of Zachary Moore**

Luce had eased himself onto his stomach, wincing as his wings moved and brushed against the wounds on his back.

"Remind me never to piss of Angel," he hissed as Zach knelt down beside him, bandages and salves in hand. "That little girl has nails of freaking steel."

"Tell me about it." Zach's cheek had four long, angry scratches from where Angel had literally nailed him before he'd calmed her down. "Can you tell me what it felt like to have her control you?" he questioned as he began rubbing the cold disinfectant onto Luce's back.

Luce yelped. "Not so freakin' hard, will you? It was like being a marionette, and that's pretty much all I can remember. Couldn't move myself, and when it was done, just feeling like I'd wanted to do it in the first place. But I didn't, Zach, I didn't."

"I believe you," Zach assured. Luce fell silent, giving little shouts and exclamations of pain (with a few curses added in). Finally, Zach patted him on the crisp, firm bandages, and stood up to go wash his hands. "So, Emma told me you were flirting with her."

Luce's head snapped up, his red eyes flashing with anger. "That's what Angel said, too!" he snapped. "I wasn't! I hate Emma."

"Alright, alright, sheesh. I guess you wouldn't get along even if I bred you two?"

"IS THAT YOUR IDEA OF A JOKE? You sicko!" Luce bared his teeth at Zach, who just laughed.

"Of course it's a joke and a funny one too. You actually think I'd waste time on a failure like her? She's just interesting, not extraordinary."

"She's scary, too," Luce said under his breath, rubbing his wrist, imagining Sable… A goofy smile broke out on his face, and he lay back, hiding it in his arms. He wished he was back in California… "When are we heading home?" he asked Zachary once he'd gotten his face back under control.

"Soon," Zach said. "There's no way that the Archangels will be staying on the east coast for long. There are too many ITEXs out here to raise children and recuperate."

"Yes, but how soon is soon?"

"Soon enough." Luce sighed in frustration. "Why are you so eager to get home? Do you have a girlfriend amongst one of the Fallen there?"

Luce found it easy to shake his head. "No thank you." He wrinkled his nose.

"Then why?" Zach was actually frustrated. "What ties you there?"

Luce knew he was in trouble. He tried to keep his cool as he shrugged. "I dunno. I guess I just hate the weather here or something. The gloom and the entire being a million feet underground freaks me out. Makes me feel claustrophobic or somethin'."

But Zach didn't seem to believe him. At least, not completely.

"You've never complained before."

"Emma does. Maybe her whining is rubbing off on me or something. Or maybe it's because I was happier back home and never had much _reason_ to complain."

"Emma thinks she has room to complain. Do you?"

Luce shrugged. "I'm not really complaining. You're the one asking me. I was just asking when we were going to go home."

That seemed to satisfy him. "True. Well, as I've told you before, soon. I can't give you a more accurate time than that just yet."

"Thanks." Luce sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "What about you?"

"Hm?"

"How are you putting up with things? You've been stressed."

Zach shot a glare at Luce. "Sometimes I wish you couldn't smell so much."

"Smell? My nose has been clogged since we got here. The scientists wear so much perfume… No, I can tell because you look like a zombie."

"I've been running around nonstop trying to deal with the higher ups, what do you think? They aren't too pleased with how things have been going. Apparently things aren't going as they'd hoped."

"Psh, what do they want? Alpha's girl is pregnant, she's not going to get an abortion…"

"They want me to get her back so we can have the kid, what else? And then there's the Azera Project, not only was it a failure, but we lost it and now they've decided that we should get it back, which, testing shows, is pointless." He shook his head. "Imbeciles, the lot of them."

It was of Luce's opinion that almost everyone in ITEX was either imbecilic or sadistic. Perhaps a combination of both. Of course, he just nodded along with Zachary and pretended like he agreed with him.

"Why am I telling you this, it's not like you care." Zach grimaced. "Fair warning though, Emma's going to be in an even crankier mood than usual."

Luce groaned and hid his head under one of the sofa's pillow. Zach's grimace twisted into a grin. "Poor love bird."

The pillow came flying at him, and he barely managed to duck—but his reflexes weren't as good as Luce's, and he got a mouthful of the corner of the pillowcase. "Your aim's improving, I see," he remarked.

Luce laughed. "Nah, you're just slowing up. Getting lazy."

Zach stuck his tongue out. "Do you want to visit Lucy today?"

Luce sat up. "Yeah!"

Zach picked up the small package he'd left by the door. "Then let's go." Luce followed eagerly as Zach led them down the hall to another door, with the name plate, _Lucy Moore_ on the wall beside it.

The door opened as Zachary put his hand on the scanner, revealing the gentle colored, small room. The bed was tiny, there were no tables, just a bar leading to the kitchen, with high stools on one side. The room was bare, except for a couch, and a TV.

Zachary sat down on the bed, and Luce knelt down beside it, smiling as Zach's face lit up with more happiness than Luce had seen in a long time. Zach stroked Lucy's shining, milk-chocolate curls, calling, "Lucy… Wake up, sweetie…"

Her eyes opened, revealing wide, onyx eyes. A smile flitted onto her face. "Zachary!" she squealed, glomping him.

"Hold on there, kiddo, I've got something for you." He pushed her away just a bit and handed her the package. She grinned.

"What is it?"

"Open it and see."

She tore into the package, and then gasped. She held up the glass box, eyes wider than before. "How do you get it out?" she asked eagerly.

Zachary pointed at a small latch, and she quickly opened the lid, then pulled out the crystal rose. "It's blown glass," Zachary said. "Mother made it for you."

She threw her arms around his neck again. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome." He kissed her on the nose. "Have you drawn anything lately?"

She nodded and pointed at the sketch book on the table beside the bed. "Nick and Trinity and their mommy and daddy!"

Zachary blinked. He'd never told her about them—ever. And she hadn't been out of her room since they'd gotten here. "How'd you find out about them?"

"I saw them in a dream! They were all flying together, and it was really cool! They had wings like Lucifer's, except only Nick's were black." She nodded. "Nick was really cute."

Zachary looked ready to kill himself. His little sister had a crush on one of his experiments. Just great.

Luce couldn't help but laugh, which drew Lucy's attention to him. She leaned over and pecked his lips, and then giggled. "Long time no see!" she accused.

"Well, I figure if I stay away for so long, when I come back, you'll be even happier to see me!" He grinned at her, and she giggled again.

"I'll always be happy to see you! You're Zach's friend."

"That's nice to know," he assured her. "How have you been?"

"Bored," she said matter-of-factly. "There's nothing to do here, and Zach's always busy."

"I'm sorry, sweetie," Zach apologized.

"It's OK. It's not your fault."

Zach's phone went off, and he glared at it. He was about to turn it off, but Lucy shook her head. "You should take it," she urged him. He sighed, unwillingly opening the phone and holding it to his ear. After a few moments, he shook his head.

"I'm going to have to take this in my office. Luce, you can hang out here for five minutes, alright?"

Luce nodded and watching as Zachary stomped out of the room.

Lucy hugged him tightly and sighed. "I wish Zach could quit," she grumbled.

Luce hugged her back and nodded. "I wish he would."

* * *

**Ana**

Catlyn, being Catlyn, had gotten bored. She'd also decided to share her boredom with me and Trin—mainly because Gasman was busy practicing his farts, she'd already stuck a mummified Bruno to the ceiling, and she wasn't in the mood to squeal about Edward and Jacob with Nudge and Angel. Basically, she'd run out of things to do besides track down a couple and annoy whoever.

That would be where we came in.

"Trinity…."

"What?"

"I'm still bored. What have you two been doing? Eww, wait, I don't wanna know. Um, what can we do now?"

I rolled my eyes. "Go bug someone else...?"

"Oooh! Can we bug Sable and Dom? Dom's cute. Why can't he talk right? How'd you guys meet him? Can we bug 'em?"

Trin laughed. "We met him at ITEX and they messed up his voice, now if you want to bug him go get the laptop and bring it here."

I pulled out the laptop and dumped it on his lap. He glared at me. "Sheesh, watch it."

"Hey, I'm already having your children. It's not like you need them." His cheeks turned pink, and I grinned to myself before turning back to the computer.

"Hey, Sable!" I said when she came up on the video chat.

"_Hey, Ana, Trin, Catlyn."_

"Where's Dom?" Trin asked.

"_Oi! Dominic Viteri, get your fluffy butt down here!"_

Dominic appeared, his hair wet, and his wings ruffled. It was apparently raining outside. _"Scree?"_ he asked, sitting down on the edge of Sable's chair.

"We're doing alright," I said, touching my stomach and smiling. "Don't know how many, yet."

"Hey, Dom, I think someone here wants to tell you something…" Trin laughed as Catlyn elbowed him.

"Shut up!"

Dom tilted his head to the side, his dark eyes flying across our faces. Then, a blush sprang across his cheekbones, and he put a spidery hand to his face to try and hide it. _"Skree!"_ he snapped at me desperately, knowing Catlyn couldn't understand his plea for help.

"Sorry, what was that?" I pretended to not understand either. Sable giggled.

"Ah!" Catlyn shoved Trin over. "You are evil!" Trin was too busy cracking up to even attempt to articulate a reply. When she looked at me I just shrugged.

"You never should of told him you though Dom was cute."

She looked mortified.

"What? Oh yeah. Oops." I smirked and looked back at Dom. "You catch that? That's right. She said it. She thinks Dom's-Hey!" She'd stolen the last of my Oreos. "Give those back!"

"Never!"

Sable was cracking up now, and Dom was hitting his forehead with a palm, his cheeks bright, bright red. "First time I've ever seen you blush!" Trinity guffawed. "Oh geeze, this is priceless."

Catlyn tossed an Oreo at his head. "Evil."

"Yuppers!" he cackled, and rested his head on my shoulder, sighing and wiping away tears that had come to his eyes from laughing so hard. Every now and then his shoulders would shake with a laugh.

Sable finally calmed herself and decided to be nice to Dom. "Hey, you know how Pelosi and them are all like, 'ahh, these people are like, the MOB!' and stuff? Well, there's this site where you can generate your mob names, you just enter yours… It's fun! I'm 'The Venetian'. Rachel's 'Del Murder'."

"Cool! What's Dom?"

"The Loooooooove Bug."

"Shut up Trinity."

"Yeah, shut up, Trin," I said. "Or else I'll dump the laptop on you again." I poked his reddening cheek.

"Dominic Viteri is 'No Mercy'. Dominic Flyte is 'the Icepick'. 'Dom' is 'thinks-he's-so-smart'."

"What about me?" Catlyn asked.

Sable smiled. "Just Catlyn? Two Fists. Do you have a last name yet?"

Catlyn shook her head. "Nope. I'm just Two Fists."

"'Santana Flyte' is the Jury-Tamperer. Ana Flyte is 'the Xenophobe'. Anna, with two N's, is… OMG." Sable began cracking up. "The Hair Lip."

I rolled my eyes. "Then let's all be glad I'm Ana with one 'n.'"

"But wasn't your name originally—"

"Catlyn."

"Shutting."

"Hmmm?" Sable asked.

"Oh, that's right. You don't know." I paused, rolling the words around in my mouth before saying, "Gabe's my dad."

It was funny, I think she would have fallen out of her chair if Dom wasn't there. () "No way!"

I nodded, grinning like a mad woman. "Yes way."

"So your kids have grandparents! Yay!" She pumped the air with her fist. "Will they come with you to California?"

"Yeah. They'll be staying with Mason and Bella, though, so don't stress about the room."

"Oh, the room isn't a problem. Doctor Tamlin—you know, Tate Tamlin, the guy we got out of ITEX? He just settled down and has a steady job, and he lives right down the street! Isn't that cool?"

"You mean, Tate Tamlin, the blond with the green eyes, just as tall as us?"

"Yeah!"

"Wow! That is cool."

Catlyn asked something I didn't catch and Trinity answered in an uber loud stage whisper: "Yes Catlyn, he's just as cute as Dom."

She smacked his arm. "That's not what I said!"

He made as innocent a face as possible. "Are you saying I'm lying?" I boxed his ears. "Alright, alright… Of course I'm lying." He grinned at us. "But come on. Dom, she sure is pretty."

Dom glared at us all. _"Skree. Screee, sk-click-click-eeeee!" _Translation: Look. I'm not looking for a f****** girlfriend! _"Skreee…"_ Besides…

He trailed off, clicking something in the back of his throat in a deep tremor that I didn't understand. Sable looked at him confusedly, and he shook his head, saying that he'd tell her later.

"How can they understand you, Dom?" Catlyn asked curiously. "How'd you get your voice like that?"

Dom gestured at Sable, muttering at her to evade the voice question as best as she could. She nodded. "It took a very, very long time. He essentially taught us how to understand him, and sort-of how to speak Dominican—that's what we call it. But human vocal chords aren't meant for the sort of abuse that Dom puts his through, so we can't exactly copy him. He can write and type and read English, French and Latin, and that's how he taught us. He'd take it slowly, write something out, say it in his language, and we'd have to play it by ear. Everything's in the inflection, tone, and body language. The sounds are just so you know that he's actually talking.

"It's really complicated. His flock figured it out quicker than Beth and I did, probably something about their own avian DNA. We, and few others, can understand him.

"But anyway." Sable coughed. "Back to the good doctor Tate. Tamlin's an OBGYN—please don't ask me to tell you what those stand for—which means he's a doctor for when a woman's pregnant, and when she gives birth. He's offering to help any of the bird girls who become pregnant, because he's pretty much an expert on this sort of Avian American stuff. _And_, with his new job, he has access to 3D ultrasounds…"

My heart stopped. "Are you serious?" I gasped.

Sable nodded, just as breathless as I was. "Yes! He says that by the time you guys get here, he'll be able to tell the gender, _and_ how many, and all sorts of stuff!" She was holding Dom's hand in an excited, tight grip, but he was smiling, too. "So hurry up and get better, Trin, I wanna know if you're having triplets like in _Wings of Wrath!"_

Trinity groaned. "Please don't bring up that story," he moaned. "Please don't."

"Why not? It was a masterpiece!"

"And Fang couldn't fly, Angel ran off, Iggy and Gazzy died…ish… I agree, it was great. But I still don't like it, and don't want to copy it."

"Fine then. You can have twins."

"You know, Sable," I told her. "You should stop it while you're ahead. You're being strangely prophetic lately."

She blushed. "Sorry."


	28. Chapter 25: Whiplash

_**A/N:**__ I just realized a few things. First of all, Deaths of the Archangels is shortened to (in my head…) DoA. Which is Dead on Arrival. Tee-hee._

_And then, we never mentioned how Gabriel got out of ITEX. Let's just say he has afreakishly good escape ability. And what happened to Luce after he dropped off Angel/Trin/Omega/Fang/Angelus? Oh, he brought the car back and faked a rage at Angel for "mind-controlling" him. Which she didn't, actually, just so you know._

_It looks like D'll be gone for the week, so if these chapters stink, it's all my fault. Capeesh?_

_(I apologize if you get whiplash from the POV changes in this chappie.)  
_

* * *

**Sable**

It's hard when I got lonely. I got this gaping hole in my chest, and I wanted someone to hug me. Dominic was always there for that. I could just come up to the attic and find him there, surfing the blogosphere in the warm, dark room. He'd know as soon as I entered the room what I was looking for, put down his laptop, and open his arms. He'd hold me and rub my back and just be there for me until the hole in my gut wasn't so sore.

Then, he'd just let me go and we'd hang out and talk about my cousin Rachel (his girlfriend, who he'd broken up with once to date Kate, but after _that_ break up had gone back to) or about Luce, ITEX, NuTex, Ana, Trinity… Anything and everything until I felt distracted enough.

In return for his comfort, I'd be there for _him._ He'd wake up in the middle of the night, sobbing silently, and I'd climb up into the attic and he'd reach out, and I'd let him fall against me, still crying, absolutely terrified by whatever he saw in his dreams. Sometimes he'd clutch his throat and fight me, trapped and terrified in his nightmare.

He never did tell me what those dreams were about… But I knew. We all knew what they were.

And it made me hate ITEX even more.

* * *

**Trinity**

I had to be dreaming. I had to be having a nightmare—this couldn't be real.

"No." The word passed my lips, but there was no sound. "God, please…no…" My fingers were digging into my palms, the pain was real. But this couldn't be. My eyes were tricking me. This was a nightmare from ITEX. _It_ _couldn't be real._

The images of the tiny mutilated bodies, the spines ripped from their backs, their wings torn, their brains sucked out through cracked skulls; and blood. Red blood, scarlet. Everything was covered in their blood. They weren't even fully formed, their bodies. Their wings were stubby, their fingers were just tiny little dimples on their hands—their eyes were closed, their mouths were open in looks of agony. They'd been defenseless. Their screams had been unheard, silent.

I held them in my hands; they were so tiny. But their little feet had toes, their hands, curled up into fists… I touched one of the hands with my finger, a sob ripping from my chest as I felt the blood-covered skin. I buried them close to my chest, feeling their light weights, feeling their presence.

"_Daddy!"_ a voice called in the distance.

"_Help me, Daddy!" _a second cried.

"_Daddy!"_

My arms were suddenly empty, and two children were in front of me, just out of arm's reach. They were screaming, crying, reaching for me with thin, bony fingers. _"Don't let them take us!"_ the little girl sobbed, fighting as hard as she could against the white coat that was dragging her away by the hair. Her little wings beat as hard as she could…but it was no use.

"_Daddy!"_ the little boy screamed. _"Daddy!"_

"TRINITY!"

Ana's face was the first thing I saw as my eyes opened. Her eyes were wide, but her jaw was set. My vision clouded with a new wave of tears, and my face burned with a mix of fear and shame. She took in my face, and the tears that were now spilling down my cheeks, and pulled me against her chest. I hid my face in her shoulder, holding on to her shirt tightly. "I'm sorry," I sobbed. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright," she soothed, rubbing my back. "We're alright… We're alright…"

How had she known that I needed to hear that? That I needed to hear 'we', that I needed to know that my children were still alive—that I needed to be reassured that that had been just a nightmare?

"Does this happen often?" Dad asked softly.

"Not this bad, usually," Ana replied just as quietly. "I've only seen it once…but we all have nightmares. Some of them are worse than others."

"That one topped them all." Fang's voice was shaken. Had he seen it, too, from that strange link we shared now? I sent a wordless question to him through the link, and he replied with an affirmative feeling. I curled closer to Ana as a memory of the nightmare came back, and Fang hissed. "You shouldn't have watched those videos."

I flipped him off. "It's no'm'friggin' fault," I ground out. "I had t'know…"

"What videos?" Ana asked, oblivious.

"Nothin'," I hastened to say, but Fang cut me off.

"Abortions. And now that he's a father-to-be, it seeped into his nightmares… ITEX…"

Ana's arms tightened around me. Her lip quivered. "I would never let ITEX touch them," she said with surprising force. "Not as long as I'm alive."

"That's just it," I whispered.

"I'm not planning on dying anytime soon, Trinity." Ana stroked my hair, smoothing it down my neck. I shivered, my bones going to Jell-O again. "Just calm down… It was a bad dream. So what. Don't let it affect you—because it'll never happen except in your nightmares."

Her words were so simple, but they were believable. I let go of Ana's shirt and wrapped my arms around her back, hugging her closer. "Thanks," I mumbled, sniffing as bravely as you can make a sniff sound. "This time, and last…"

"And for every other time to come." Ana leaned back against the bed. "It'll be alright. I'm here." Fang put his hand on my shoulder, and then dragged Dad out of the room. I settled more comfortably against Ana's side; she kissed my wet cheek, and then my exposed right eyelid. "Go back to sleep. I won't leave you," she whispered, her breath cooling my warm skin.

I touched her stomach, and let my hand rest there. One of her hands joined mine, and together—all of us, however many there were—fell asleep.

And this time, I had a good dream.

* * *

**Ana**

Dad came in eventually; Trinity was fast asleep, his tears having dried and his mind calmed. Dad sat down on the chair beside the bed, and touched my hair. I smiled at him. "What's up?"

He looked at me, and then at Trinity, his eyes hesitant. "Will he be alright?" he asked quietly.

I nodded and stroked Trinity's cheek. "He'll be twice as determined to protect us now," I said fondly. "Four times that of what he was before that last nightmare…"

"So how often _does_ this happen? Does it have any effect on his health?"

"He says he has them all the time, but I never could tell. Could you?" I gave him a look. He shook his head, and I turned back to Trinity. "There was one time, just a few weeks ago, he was dreaming about what that Karen lady did to him before his Dad rescued him the first time…"

"Huh?"

I looked back at Trinity, at the frown that marred his gentle features even in his sleep, at the fading bruises and cuts that were visible on his exposed skin. "He wouldn't like everyone to know," I sighed. "I wouldn't either."

"Is it something that would potentially hurt you, the children, or your future?"

I shook my head. "Only if I killed Karen and got sent to jail and the kids were sent to foster homes because I was an unfit parent…"

"Then I guess I don't need to know…"

"But anyway… If it proves anything, Mr. Daddy here had a nightmare about the babies being taken by ITEX." His hand on my tummy twitched, like it had been doing occasionally for a while, but this time it sent fire through my body. "Now, he won't ever let them touch my children, or me."

Dad was silent for a few moments, and then he reached over and hugged me tightly. I hugged him back. "Thanks, Daddy," I said softly.

* * *

The days passed; I spent more time in Trinity's room than anywhere else. Fang and Max hung out with us most of the time as well, although sometimes we hardly spoke to each other. Fang would sit with his laptop and blog and surf the net, Max would read, and Trinity would read to me and the baby/babies. Other times, though, we'd talk about everything from ITEX to movies to the rest of our flocks.

When I wasn't upstairs, I could probably be found with Fang, on the window seat on the second floor. It was totally cool between us. There were no hard feelings about our break up, nothing really awkward. We didn't _talk_ about back when we were together, of course, but there was nothing between us. He could hold me, hug me, and pull my hair—and there was nothing romantic in it. Something in my mind had clicked, and every romantic thought towards any other guy in the entire world had been shut down. I could look at guys I previously thought were the hottest thing in the world—a.k.a. Fang—and wonder why I even thought they were attractive. I mean, I could tell that Fang was a good looking guy. But there was no attraction there, at all.

The same with me, in his eyes. Something in him had turned off as well, and when he thought about me, he knew I was pretty—but I was 'no competition' to Max.

With Trinity, I wanted to be all over him. I wanted to hold him and hug him and kiss him; but at the moment, the entire aspect of 'hot and heavy' was totally out of the question. My hopeless romantic head wanted to do it right now, or as soon as possible, but my body was telling me, _just keep it cool, and if you wait, you'll be rewarded. But right now, just settle for kisses and hugs._

And I was fine with that. Because Trinity's hugs and kisses were all my heart and soul needed at the moment.

* * *

**A Long While After DoA** **(let's say three weeks after?) **–** Trinity**

I woke up one morning, my limbs vibrating, my heart slamming in my chest, and a burst of euphoria pressing against my ribs. I righted myself, stretching, yawning, grinning. I swung my legs off of the bed, gripped the headboard and the back of the nearest chair to steady myself before I dared to attempt standing up.

It took a few minutes, but I soon found myself strutting around, getting dressed, and stretching my wings.

I threw open my door, and then ran down the stairs as fast as I could. _"Freedom, here I come!"_ I sang, and burst into the 'hospital' room that Dr. Martinez and Jeb were hanging out, talking to Ana.

Ana jumped up, and then she'd leapt at me, throwing her arms around my neck, standing on her tiptoes to plant a kiss to my lips. I slid my arms around her waist and kissed back until both of us deemed it long enough. We pulled away and I swung her around. "Just wait until I can fly!" I said longingly, with a pointed look at Dr. Martinez and Jeb, who were gaping at us.

In just about twenty minutes, I had a clean bill of health. I let out a cheer and ran upstairs, shouting for all the world to hear, "I can fly! Whoo-hoo! I'm _freeeee!"_

Ana followed me; she had no choice, as I had her fingers tangled in mine. I swung our joined hands around as goofily as possible, and as we came out onto the roof, I twirled her around and the pulled her back to me. "Remember our East Coast Swing lesson?"

"At Sable's Girl Scout 'Father-Daughter Dance'? Yeah. You weren't so good back then," she teased, and then kissed me on my nose.

"His mother was never a good dancer either," Dad's voice said from behind me. I grinned over my shoulder at him. "Might I join you?" he asked.

I nodded eagerly. "Yeah! We can show him some moves, can't we, Ana?"

Ana snickered and spread her wings. "If you guys can catch my tail feathers, maybe!" She took a running start and leapt off of the roof. I shot a look at Dad before taking off.

Flying again, for the first time in—forever? It's a wonderful feeling. For a split second I was in the air, feeling like a traceur in a long jump. Then, my muscles slid under my skin, straining to fight my weight in a downbeat powerful enough to send me further, higher—two more strokes, and I was really flying. It was where I belonged, here in the air. My instincts triggered happy-chemicals or something, because the only other explanation for my euphoria (don't you _love_ that word? I do) was that my soul was at home, that this joy was me doing what God created me to do. What made me…_me._

I let out a loud whoop and caught up with Ana easily, twirling onto my back underneath her; on my spin, my primary feathers brushed against the length of her body, starting at her legs, crossing her body, and extending down her wing. In a split-second's touch, her eyes widened and she skipped a downbeat. I laughed at her and righted myself, giving her some room to catch her rhythm again.

"Our routine?" I suggested.

"Mmm… Higher," she replied, and together we spun upwards, higher, towards where she could breathe more easily. Where the air was crisp, clear, and cool… I was glad for my jacket, thick hair, and a coat of feathers on my back.

Dad was just a few feet below us. "So, what's this routine you mentioned?" he called.

I exchanged a glance with Ana. "Want to cement this bond we have?" I purred. "This instinctual marriage?"

She blushed. "The falcon fall?" she asked.

"Oh yeah."

She nodded, and dropped her hands below her—I did another corkscrew, slipping beneath her, and locked our hands—like talons. I pressed a quick kiss to her lips, and pulled my wings in. Her right wing pulled in half-way, and we began dipping to her right, our heads turning earthwards. As I came on top, spreading my wings less than I normally would have, we began our routine.

Her body was pressed against mine, every curve, every muscle. Her heartbeat, as fast as a hummingbird's flight, was perfectly in tune with mine. With each breath, our bodies were linked. Our very souls, everything about us was in sync. I knew this was who I would marry. I knew this was the girl I loved, would always love, would die for.

This was my soul mate, in every sense of the word.

* * *

**Ana**

His grip tightened, his back arched, his body pressed against mine. He opened his wings, on top; I opened mine as he closed his, and we gained momentum. Faster, faster we spun towards the ground. Soon, we hardly had to open our wings to keep the spiraling motion going; we hardly dared to, lest our wings get ripped from their sockets.

His lips touched my face, brushing across my jaw on the way to my ear. "Do you trust me?" he asked.

"With my life."

"With the lives of our children?"

"With everything."

Because I knew, he would never lead me astray.

"Can we let go yet?" I screamed, but my voice was like a whisper. The ground was drawing ever closer, I was beginning to feel it in my senses, my instincts screaming—and I was screaming too, at the thrill.

"Not yet!" He was grinning.

"NOW?"

"Nnnnnnn—oooooo—NOW!"

Feet above the ground, it seemed like mere inches. We snapped open our wings, we let go of our hands, our lunches—possibly even our lives. But I was so happy. I shot into the air, I tackled Trinity, smashed my lips to his…

And came crashing back to earth.

He groaned, from where he lay under me. "Oh crap," he hissed through his teeth, back arching in pain. "I think I just…crap…"

I held out my hand and helped him up. "Come on," I sighed. "What's wrong?"

"My right shoulder… When I let go, I flung your hand a bit too far, strained the shoulder I was missing a hunk of… Now it's bleeding and I can't feel my fingers…" I bit my lip and squeezed his good hand, before dragging him back towards the house.

Angelus met us at the door, his arms crossed, his face livid. "What the Hell do you think you were doing?" he demanded.

"Getting married," Trinity and I said in unison.

* * *

Angelus had grabbed Trin by the uninjured arm (although the arm he was grabbing seemed to quickly become injured by how much Trinity was complaining and how hard Angelus was grabbing him) and was currently dragging him into the 'hospital' room. He sat his son down and pointed at the blood-stained bandages. "Santana."

I didn't complain as I sat down and began carefully pulling the bandages off. I didn't mind this sort of stuff. It was better than having to have him take off his pants so I could bandage his upper thigh that one time back when we were twelve…

"Remember that one time when we were twelve…"

Trin's ears turned bright pink. "Please don't bring that up."

"Why not? We are _married _now_…"_

Trinity turned to look at me. "Instinctively, primal-y? Yes… But really… Ana…" I accepted the cloth Angelus held out to me, ignoring his raised eyebrows, and set about cleaning Trin's shoulder. He hissed in pain.

"I know," I sighed. "I know. Church and all that." Angelus's eyebrows disappeared into his golden hair. He handed me clean bandages and went to dispose of the soiled ones. "I get it."

"Do you, really?" Trinity whispered, and shook his head. "Anyway… Sweetie… That entire time when we were twelve, was when we were twelve. We're eighteen and nineteen now. We're going to have children. After they're here, after we settle down a bit…"

"What, Trin?"

He spun around as I finished his bandages, and with one hand trapped mine, with the other, touched my slightly swollen belly. His eyes met mine, wide, shining, fearful. "Ana," he breathed, almost begging me, "marry me for real."

* * *

**Trinity**

What in the freaking world make me ask that? Felix Felicis? Was Fang controlling me? Did someone spike my dinner last night valium or something?

I hadn't meant to ask her yet. Dad had told me that I should ask her soon, but put the marriage off until the kids were born. I'd spoken to Gabriel, and he agreed. But why now? Why had my loose lips—

_Oh God._ She hadn't answered yet. She was just staring at me, her lips parted, and the rest of her face was unreadable. _Please say yes, Oh God, please let her say yes… I'm so sorry, please say yes!_

"Alright," she said slowly. "Alright."

I let out the breath I'd been holding and fell back against the cot. "Thank You, Lord," I breathed. "Thank You _so_ much."

"Were you scared?" Ana's voice was back to her previous teasing tone. "Maybe I should reconsider…"

"Don't even joke about it," I groaned. "I'm holding you to your word."

"Should we seal it with a kiss?"

"Alright, break it up you two!" Dad cut in. "I've got some quick questions."

"Shoot," Ana prodded.

"Are you Catholic?" he asked immediately.

"I was baptized. By a nurse. 'In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit' and all…"

"And as long as it's the proper form, that's valid. Good…" Dad glanced at me, then back at Ana. "Would you be willing to commit yourself to it?"

This was the catch! Ana had never got 'the entire God thing'. I'd always been too scared to bring faith up with her—yes, I lived it, I spoke about it with others, I thundered it at people sometimes. But never at Ana. I let her sit in the crowd, on the sidelines, stand at my side and could only hope she'd soaked something up from it all. But she'd never asked me much about what I believed in, or about what happened at Mass… Or anything.

"I'm willing to learn," Ana said levelly. "I want to know more."

Her hand found mine, and I squeezed tightly. I gazed up at the crucifix on the wall. _Thank You,_ my soul cried out. _Thank You so _much!

* * *

**Angel**

Ana and Trinity were very cute together. And Max and Fang were like my own personal movie. Gabriel's depression—I bet you didn't know he was down at all. But ever since he lost his daughter, his wife, and his best friends, he had lost his love of life and his faith was the only thing keeping him going—had cleared up with the return of his daughter, her flourishing love life with an honorable boy; his reunion with his best friend; and the hope of his wife being alive, somewhere.

Angelus, too, was happier than he'd ever been (in the five minutes I knew him outside the cell and just barely inside). Jeb and Dr. Martinez seemed happy as well.

Omega—or Jason as we called him now, was bursting with vibrant emotions. He was so in love with Kate, it could make a girl cry. It was beautiful. Same with Iggy and Ella, although they were…more…um…_lacking_ in self-restraint. It annoyed me to find them getting 'hot and heavy' in closets, or on the couch, or on the _floor…_

KIX and Beth were _really_ cute. Almost as cute as Ana and Trinity. I liked hanging out with them the most, because not only were they cute, but they were funny. Very, very funny.

Gazzy, Nudge, and Catlyn were practically inseparable. They were chaotic (or _psychotic_, depending on how you look at it), what with the introduction of duct tape and sugar-coated popsicles. In the middle of December.

But underneath this happiness was a lurking feeling of dread. I couldn't find it in me to have too much fun. I was constantly keeping an eye on the windows, on Ana, on the skies, the alleys, the shadows at night. Looking out for living nightmares, listening in the darkness, hiding under my blankets, imagining the wet, snuffling, slurping sounds of the Grotesques.

I knew it was only a matter of time before they attacked again. Before the dams broke, before the floodgates burst. I'd seen into _their_ twisted minds, and knew it would be soon. It fell upon me—innocent, devious Angel Ride, the secret protector of the Angelus Project.

Max didn't know how intelligent I was. Fang knew, somewhere in his mind, and thought that Max knew as well. But because of their communication issues for the past oh…their entire _lives(!)_, they didn't know that they differed in opinion.

Because of Max's Max II situation, and the mysterious nature of her Voice, I had to play stupid. I had to play the stupid, childish, innocent little Angel that everyone saw. I had to 'act my age', so to speak.

Sometimes, it wasn't acting. When I showed my love for Max. When she hurt me, and I cried. It felt good to let go of my act and just be _real_ for once, be _really_ my age, and be relieved that it made me feel better. But the rest of the time… Not so much.

Not even Gazzy knew this. Not Jeb, not anyone except those three.

Sable knew. Trinity knew. Fang knew. These three, they knew as soon as they set eyes on me, they saw through my façade. I'd had to take all three aside (in Sable's case, let her know in a flash of Inspiration in a split second via video chat) and explain to them, carefully, make sure they knew I was serious, that they couldn't reveal I wasn't just a regular nine year old who loved teddy bears.

No, I was Angel, nine year old who loved teddy bears, but loved her family and friends much, _much_ more.

I knew things as well—and then I _KNEW_ things. Like Fang would die before Max (old, married, happy and still in love after a bajillion years. Their deaths were peacefully separated by five minutes in their sleep). That Trinity and Ana would be having—woopsie, can't tell you that yet! (:P)—and that Iggy and Ella were going to be in for a big surprise on Iggy's twenty-third birthday… But I couldn't tell people that.

I was telekinetic as well as telepathic. I could project my mental images, as well as my vision, feelings, and senses of touch and smell. I could breathe underwater as everyone knew, I could talk to certain creatures, and now, I had no 'range' on my mental abilities. If I'd seen their face, I could speak with them, wherever they were.

That's how I knew that as soon as Trinity could walk, could fly, could _leave_, I had to double my guard. Listening in to Luce's conversation with Zachary, I found out all that I needed. I had to protect Ana's babies. I had to protect Trinity, and his mind from _whatever_ it was that was attacking it—and it _was_ being attacked. I had to defend Max against the mental probes of Max II, and I had to shield Fang against Beta, who was still there, merely dormant and lurking under the surface of his subconscious, waiting for a chance--

Fang.

There had been a moment of hesitation on my part with him, when I was bringing them 'back to life'. I'd put my hands out to stimulate his body again, and sensed it.

Beta.

Someone had slipped him more chemical. That was the only explanation… Unless whatever Jeb had given him had only calmed Beta, put it to sleep, inoculated Fang against the effects of the mutating chemical… But I could sense Beta there, stronger than before, just barely held back. Fang's body was still fighting it, but not on as extreme of a scale as before. But it was just a matter of time.

I had hesitated. I'd moved on to Trinity, thinking over what I could do, mind racing for any solution. Could I kill the 'Beta' part of Fang, without risking Fang himself? Could I try to separate the two? Could I just forma wall between their two sets of instincts?

Why was Beta so different than Alpha? Alpha was so calm, so docile—only set off when Trinity wanted him to be, when Alpha was needed to protect, or love someone. So affectionate, so protective… Beta was the complete opposite! Mindless, a killing machine, no self-control at all. Maybe that was why Alpha was Alpha, why Beta was second-best. I didn't know. ITEX should have made Beta 'Alpha', what with him being so mindless—that's what they wanted Alpha to be.

…Did they even know? Did ITEX have the slightest idea of what they had created?

No. They still wanted Alpha. They still thought he was as close to their version of 'perfection' as they would ever get.

I could never let them have either of them, I could never let them find out about the truth of Beta, I could never let them touch Trinity, or his legacy.

With my hands on Fang's chest, I began working.

I built up a wall around Fang's mind, trying to shut out the Beta side as much as I could. Brick by impenetrable brick, I lay the foundation, rooted it deep in Fang's memories—happy memories of Max, of times with Jeb, with the other flock members, of Ana, and of a younger, sweeter, more innocent me. I used his emotions, feelings he'd never shown but we all kind of knew he had (gasp, you say. Fang has _emotions?)_.

And I set the wall to break when Beta was unleashed, sending all of those happy memories spilling into the forefront of Fang's mind. To keep him sane, to help strengthen him as he fought Beta's manic influence. I just hoped it was enough.

Because I knew I wouldn't always be there to protect him from himself.


	29. Chapter 26: It's a Pipe Bomb!

_**A/N:**__ Don't ask my I'm saying this: =Thanks for the advice, FrCorySticha=  
_

* * *

**Blog Update 12/20/09**

Yo,

So, if you really want to figure out what's going on, just go read back to all of my posts. I deleted the ones about the old Urtak, music, and miscellaneous stuff and left everything that's important, so if you want to go back and catch up—go get reading. From the beginning.

What's new? Trinity's up and about, we're packing up to leave the East Coast because you just _know_ there's going to be an ITEX right around the corner of the bagel shop we've been getting breakfast from, Trinity proposed to Ana, Angel's pretty much become the embodiment of "New Powers as The Plot Demands" on TVTropes (Dude. That site is crazy awesome. But don't let Angel/Max see it), but I'm not complaining (much) about her near omniscience because she's pretty darn useful. And cute.

And so, that's about it at the moment. Other than the fact that I feel like I got the flu or something (ever since that last Beta-Makes-Me-Barf moment, I've been feeling like I'm going to puke every five seconds), we're all pretty alright. Dad's feathers are growing back, he can fly pretty well, Trin's taking this expectant-father-who-just-found-out-that-I'm-his-brother thing pretty well.

All in what, under thirty blog posts so far? Can you say wowza.

We've got all the taxis we need. By the time this post actually gets published, we should be at the safe house. Expect either a flood of posts from a really bored flock, or absolute silence…

Watch the Skies,

-Fang

* * *

**Fang**

Ah, the airport.

The portal to a claustrophobic, funky-smelling, ear-plugging, turbulent hell. What a beautiful concept that really wasn't making my stomach feel any better about this entire _I won't die and shut down my system if you don't make me puke again _agreement we had.

"You alright?" Max asked.

I shrugged.

"D'you feel dizzy, have a headache, uncontrollable urges to kill someone, jitters, a fever, chills—anything?"

I shrugged.

Max glared at me, put a hand on my head, decided I was perfectly fine in that respect, and then began to poke me in the chest. "Can you do _anything_ other than shrug?" she demanded.

I shrugged. Just to annoy her. She rolled her eyes as my lips spread in my trademark, Max-induced smirk. "Don't worry about it," I told her, walking past her into the line for boarding. "Just a bit sick thinking of the flight ahead."

"Don't have a nervous breakdown on me, alright?" she grumbled, and we shuffled along to our seats.

Max, Angel, and I shared a row, with Nudge, Catlyn and Gazzy sitting behind us. Across the aisle from me were Ana, and Trin, with an empty seat (lucky them, they could lie down and spread their legs). Behind them were Jason and Kate and Jeb, and Beth and KIX were lucky enough to share a row behind them. Iggy and Ella were in yet another row, separated by Dr. Martinez. Neither of them seemed happy about that. Dad and Gabriel were somewhere in front of us, with Lily, Bella and Mason, but I trusted them to keep safe.

Beth and KIX were currently absorbed in the view out the window (why, I had no idea. It was dark and rainy, and that was about it), but I knew their attention would shift to each other in a few moments. Then, they'd be bickering quietly, and then they'd start doing a private commentary on whatever movie we were going to be watching. They were getting pretty predictable.

Ana was reading _Count of Monte Cristo_,her elbow resting on the armrest between her and Trin's seats. Her legs were pulled up on the free seat to her left, and she was leaning against Trinity's side: His chin was on her shoulder, his arm around her back, and he was reading along with her. Trinity glanced up, sensing my attention, and a vague feeling of a question mark came into the back of my mind. I shook my head and he went back to reading with Ana.

Jason and Kate were cuddling up and listening to the airplane radio, Kate with her eyes closed, head bobbing to the beat; Jason's eyes were trained out the window, but his fingers were tapping. Dr. Martinez was reading some biology book. Bor-ring.

Nudge and Catlyn were reading the _Maximum Ride _manga, Gazzy was bouncing up and down, watching whatever it was outside that was just so interesting. Angel was drawing in her sketchpad, bent over so her face was nearly touching her knees, her hair curtaining whatever it was she was drawing from view. Max had thrown her head back, eyes closed, trying to keep her claustrophobia in control.

Me?

I was trying not to pass out.

_You'll be fine, Fang,_ Angel said without looking up from her sketching. _Just breathe with Max and you'll be fine. Try sleeping, too. It'll be over in just over five hours._

Five hours.

Great.

* * *

Sleeping did help. After breathing with Max during take-off, I fell asleep and pretty much stayed there all the way through the flight. I think Angel had a bit to do with that as well, but I didn't know for sure. When I woke up, we had about half an hour till we'd land in San Jose.

The movie that was playing was pretty much over. Gazzy was snoring. Loudly. Nudge and Catlyn were watching the end credits of the movie as interestedly as if it were the actual thing, Angel was still drawing, Max was still asleep, Ana and Trin weren't finished with their book yet, Jason and Kate were talking about something, Dr. Martinez had fallen asleep, Beth and KIX were talking about something that made KIX turn pink, and Iggy, Ella and Jeb were discussing—get this: something.

Angel giggled softly and looked up, simultaneously flipping over her book so I couldn't see what she'd drawn.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"Evening," she replied vaguely. "Look out the window. It's pretty." I shrugged, not really caring, but _did _look out the window.

'Pretty' was an understatement. It was gorgeous: Below us were stretches of rolling golden hills, spattered with thick, dark waves of brush and trees. The sky was a luminous red, stretching ever darker into purple the higher it got. Towards the setting sun, it was thermite red, then hot orange, and then blinding white that reflected off the hills, off the clouds, off of the sides of the airplane to give a dizzying array of plain _Beauty._

"Oh man," I had to say. Angel put her hands on my knees and leaned forward.

"Look at the window itself," she directed. "At the little raindrops."

I did, and could see why Angel liked it. They were tiny little droplets of condensation, but in them they held the entire rainbow of the sunset outside, all squeezed into one tiny little surface. "Imagine having one of them to hold, so it wasn't water, but glass," Angel breathed, and her breath fogged the plastic—or whatever the inner window of an airplane is made of. "You'd always lose it, 'cause it's so small, but if you just had it once, at the right time…"

"Like now," I agreed.

"Like now," she echoed. "Like a miracle."

Miracles...

What a thing to ponder.

* * *

As soon as I stepped off of the little boarding hallway that led to the airplane, I had to use all my self-restraint to keep from beginning to do like, yoga or something to pop all of my joints. Seriously, I was feeling majorly cramped and really wanted to get some fly-time. But that'd have to wait.

"So. How do we know where she's waiting for us?" Max asked Trinity and Ana.

"She's in the normal spot," Ana replied. "Remind me—did we have anything we'd need to go to baggage claim for?" We shook our heads. "Good. Let's find Sable, then."

"Lead the way," one of our crowd directed.

Ana shouldered her backpack, did a quick head count, nodded, and then marched forward. She led us through the airport, outside, and down the cement. All the way down the cement to the other side of the airport, where most of the pickups and drop-offs were taking place. She pointed to a bench. "Sit here," she told most of the younger kids.

"I thought you said we'd _find _Sable," Iggy said, leaning against a lamppost. "I ain't seeing her."

"You 'ain't' seeing anything, Iggy," Max retorted.

"Traffic is generally bad around here," Trinity pointed out. "She could be caught in traffic. In fact, that's probable. But anyway, I'll call, just to make sure."

Trinity took out his cell phone and dialed a number, then held it to his ear and waited, eyes scanning the cars and faces around us.

"Hey, Sable. We're at the spot. Where are you?" Trinity paused, and I watched his expression carefully. As shock filled his mind, his eyes widened—and then narrowed as irritation followed. "Alright. Just keep them away, and stay safe. Alright. We'll be seeing you shortly." He hung up and sighed.

"Apparently, someone recognized her—I don't know how, don't ask—and they attracted a crowd of fangirls. And guys. And a reporter. Because you guys are _pretty_ demophobic, Sable drew them off. She's gotten rid of them by now, but that reporter guy has been keeping an eye out and appearing around corners and stuff, so she's told on him to the airport security, and now she's a bit occupied with trying to shake _them_ off. In short, we're flying to her place if we want to get there before the little kids' bed-time."

Ah, the fly-time I was looking for!

"How long will it take?" Max asked, rightly guessing that some of the flock members were still half-asleep from the long trip.

"Fifteen, maybe twenty minutes by air," Ana estimated. "We've got the wind to our backs, and there's no traffic."

"What about the ones of us who can't fly?" Kate asked—because Jason wouldn't. He still felt a bit out of place with us, and didn't like to speak unless spoken to.

Mason spoke up. "I see _our_ ride. Jeb, Dr. Martinez, Ella, and my family are staying with Stephenie. Jason, Beth, we can drop you off at Sable's house on the way down. We can take some baggage if you can't carry it."

"Alright."

In short order, we'd piled pretty much everything into the back of nineteen year old Stephenie's car, helped everyone in who was going, and then waved as they all drove off. I heard Gazzy rambling off to Nudge, wondering aloud if we could beat the car to Sable's house. I raised my eyebrows at Max and Ana.

"Totally," Ana replied to my expression, and grinned. "Alright, let's go to our take-off spot. Everyone, follow Trinity."

Trinity led us around the back of the airport to the multi-level parking garage, and we climbed our way up the stairs to the very top level. There were hardly any cars, and only one security camera. It was an easy take-off place.

"Alright, everyone, follow each other, and follow me. Fly above the smog—if there is any—and watch out for birds. They generally don't like us, and even the smallest little sparrow can kick your butt if instinct drives them. Also, once it gets dark, it's safe to fly a bit lower, but watch out. You don't want to get seen."

Done with his speech, Trinity took off his jacket, tied it around his waist, and spread his wings. We followed his example, and then nearly as one, all of us took off.

"_I love you Fang!"_ someone screamed from down below, and I looked in the direction of the voice to see a tiny little girl jumping up and down and waving.

"Great," I said to Max, putting as much sarcasm into my voice as possible. The annoyed look faded, and a laughing smile appeared on her lips. Much better than jealousy.

Once we were high enough, our flight leveled out and we began heading in the direction of the freeway. "We follow the road all the way down to NASA," Trinity called over his shoulder.

"If you get lost, go to the military base there, head to the museum, and ask for an employee named Terry English. He's Sable's neighbor, and a good guy," Ana added.

Max looked back at the flock. "You got all that?" she asked.

"Yeah," they chorused.

What little talking we did from there wasn't interesting, so I mostly tuned out and focused on the flight.

There were hundreds of cars below us, zooming down the highway, slowing down for traffic. Golden hills rolled behind us, with scattered green brush and trees appearing as black velvet on their surfaces. Fog was rolling in over the hills, like waves crashing on a beach. In front of us were more hills, but they were greener. There was a lot of fog there, too.

Some turkey vultures were circling around a golden field below us; the fields were long and wide, stretching on the right side of the highway, and there were flocks of sheep roaming around on them, grazing lazily. A hawk sat on a lamppost, a peregrine falcon dove out of the sky to land on another about a mile away from it.

As the sun set further, it was harder to see. The sunset was actually more to our right than straight in front of us, but it still blinded me pretty effectively. In the end, I just closed my eyes and glided, keeping tabs on where to go and when to angle my wings by tuning in to Trinity's body. Ever since the Beta incident, this stereotypical anime-twin connection was getting easier to control. We couldn't form words, or images, but we could shoot strong feelings at each other. If he was asking me a question, what I'd get was essentially a giant, metaphorical question mark in the back of my mind. I could do the same in turn, sending him the instinctual OMG's, and he'd know that I needed help (this is what apparently set him off for the entire I'm-Allergic-To-Beta thing that had me puking up my respiratory system).

It had gotten so easy to control and manipulate, that flying with my eyes closed, only paying attention to his body movements was a piece of cake. So easy, in fact, that I didn't run into anyone, and Max didn't notice that I was flying without looking where I was going.

"Holy cow, Fang, that's so cool!" Nudge squealed.

_Nudge_ noticed, however. I snapped open my eyes, glad that it was darker than before, and glared at her as Max freaked out. "How are you doing that?" Max demanded. "You know you could get killed! You could get one of _us_ killed. You could crash into telephone wire or something!"

I gave her a look, and she huffed. Trinity came to my rescue. "It's alright, Max. He's following my movements, and he had the sun in his eyes. It was safer to have his eyes closed. Just stop freaking out, 'kay?"

Max nodded and looked at me apologetically. Trinity smirked at me from where Max couldn't see, and Angel said, _She was worried about you,_ she said with an 'Awwww, that's so cute!' kind of tone.

_Gee, Angel, didn't notice._

Angel giggled and then drifted up above a cloud. I dove beneath it, and found myself passing over a fog-covered swamp like area. The fog—mist, actually, swirled beneath my primaries as I drifted closer. To my right was a huge stadium or something, with huge lights, and I hoped that the people in cars couldn't see me. I looked over, and the world seemed to slow.

_Wow,_ a girl's voice said. _It really is Fang._ Images floated past my eyes, of me, shadowy, a lone figure in the night, soaring across the ground. The girl—whoever she was—made up her mind to keep the sighting in her heart. _Angel, if you're around… Tell everyone we're there for you._

The images and voice faded away, but I reached out a hand and waved. _Angel?_ I called to the little girl who was probably responsible for all this. _Tell her thanks._

_Oh, she knows,_ Angel replied as I joined them again in the sky. _Isn't that cool that I can do that, though!_

_Yeah,_ I told her earnestly. A bit scary, but cool.

_I wonder where I'm getting all these powers from, _she mused. _It's not like I asked to be a NPATPD. I wish you guys got all these powers too! That way I wouldn't have to be so…so…_

_I know, Angel. Just keep it up. You're doing an awesome job._

_Thanks, Fang._

_Welcome._

* * *

"DUDE. Is that NASA?"

Gazzy sounded like he might pee his pants. Or say omg. Either one would have been bad. Luckily, he calmed down and was silent, listening to Trinity explain, "Yes, that's NASA. Watch out for planes, cameras, wind tunnels, and school children around here. And watch out for the zeppelin as well. It's a huge honking white thing, you can't miss it. Over there is Moffett Field, it used to be a Naval air base, but it's now owned and operated by NASA.

"You gotta be really careful about flying around here. They have super fast planes, and it's a bit hard to avoid being impaled by them on accident. They know about us, we know about them—but we tend to avoid each other because, well, you don't wanna become splatter art. It's fun to hang out around here though."

"That's so cool how the spotlight on that huge building thing is a _star_! It's just so cool, and pretty, and like, bright!"

"Yeah, Nudge. That building's Hangar One. It's so big it can hold Ferris Wheels and stuff. I've never been in it, but I've been _on_ it. It is really cool," Kate said. "We'll take you on a tour of the area tomorrow, alright?"

"Oooh, that'll be so cool!"

"To the left, peeps," Ana called, and we followed her across the highway as it raised itself in a bridge above a light-rail track; we followed the light-rail until we reached a building that sent chills down my spine. _NuTex._ That was a branch of ITEX, right?

We left that behind us, exited enemy territory, passed a 7-Eleven, Carl's Jr., a coffee shop, _SETI_—and then we were lowering ourselves over a tree-studded condominium complex. Something shot out of the sky like lightning, screeching, and then Dominic was there, his triangular wings zipping him about us, faster than anything I'd ever seen. His face was lit up with joy at being reunited with his flockmates.

"Come on, Dom, let's get the kids inside." Trinity laughed, and we landed on the roof of one of the condos. There was a _thud_ for each one of us, and some of the younger, more tired kids slipped and nearly fell. In short order, we were climbing into the attic of the house through an open air vent.

It was warm, cozy, and smelled like insulation. The floors were covered with wood, and we had to stoop—the ceiling was _really_ low. There were a lot of rafters, and in-between most of them were sleeping bags, bean-bag chairs, and stacks of books. There was a radio in another little alcove, and further towards the other side of the attic I couldn't see, because it was dark.

Ana flipped a switch and the entire place lit up with strings of Christmas lights down the center. "There are separate lights for each one of the beds," Trinity was explaining. "There are enough beds for each of us. The rules are tacked over by the door to the rest of the house, which is down…here." He pulled open a square tile in the floor at the far end of the attic, revealing a bright room. "This is Sable's sisters' room, so you have to use common sense when coming in or out. There's a rope ladder attached to the opening, here." He waved the bundled up ladder.

"Let's get set up with beds first. Dad, Gabriel and I'll go check out the rest of the house and see if anyone's here yet. Older kids, come down when the younger ones are in bed, or whenever." With that, Trinity dropped down through the hole and into the rest of the house.

I turned and dumped my backpack onto the nearest sleeping bag. Max took the one right across the attic from me—the top of our sleeping bags were separated by about a foot and a half of floor space. Angel, of course, took the bag right next to Max. Nudge was beside her, followed by Catlyn.

Iggy was sleeping next to me, with Gazzy on his other side. Near another air vent: Awesome. There was a bookshelf in the space between Gazzy and KIX, which was probably for the best. Next to KIX was going to be Beth, and then a whole lot of extra sleeping bags and space.

Next to Catlyn was a toy-and-game filled space, and on the other side was a bean-bag chair. There was another empty space, and then the beds began again: Kate was obviously going to be followed by Jason, and that was the end of the attic space on that row.

Dominic was on the other side of the opening into the house, and he probably had the most room. He had a fine nest of a sleeping bag, and a litter of books. There were piles of pillows on Max's left, and we all snagged on or two—there were enough to spare. Ana had put her jacket and pack across from Dom, in a corner.

Once Max was done putting—forcing—Angel, Nudge, Catlyn, and Gazzy to bed, she, Iggy, Ana, Dom, KIX, Kate, and I jumped down to find Trinity, Dad and Gabriel.

Ana led us through the house, pointing out things as we walked:

From the attic, you dropped down into Sable's sisters' room. Then, there was a hallway. Directly to your right was Sable's parents' room. Three feet from that, on the left, was Sable's room. Right across from that were two cabinets with medical supplies—girl stuff was in the very top shelf, first aid was in the entire bottom half of the cabinet. Easily accessible.

Around the corner to the right of the meds were two bathrooms. The smaller one was for the guys, the bigger one was the girls and had the shower. Ana made it clear that we were all going to have to get clean tomorrow.

Across from the bathrooms was a short hallway, the front door, and the pantry. The kitchen was small, cluttered, but homey. If you followed straight down the hall from Sables' sisters' room, you'd reach the living room. It was large, with a computer in the far left corner, a bookshelf, a large TV, another bookshelf, a sofa, a rocking chair, the dinner table, and more bookshelves. There was a telescope, a piano, and a globe as well.

Things were pretty cluttered, but all in all they were neater than what we were used to at Dr. Martinez's.

I took note of the sliding glass doors that led into a small backyard, which held a little Madonna statue, a stand for St. Francis, and a bird bath. It was a pretty garden, with plenty of seats.

On the other side of the living room was a very messy desk, with two monitors. "That's Sable's dad's," Ana warned from where she'd thrown herself on the couch. "Don't touch _anything._ You'll probably screw something up."

I nodded and pulled up a chair as Jason and Beth came in with the luggage. Max sat down on the piano bench; Beth sat down and pulled out her cell phone and began chattering away to Sable about how awesome the house was. KIX was talking to Dominic at a high speed. Kate was talking to Jason about what things were like here, Iggy was running his hands over everything, and Ana had been joined by Trinity; both were silent, but smiling.

Gabriel and Dad were listening to everything, trying to take it all in. I smiled (inwardly) and looked back at Max.

"They're here!" Beth squee'd and ran over to the door, struggling with the lock before managing to throw it open.

* * *

**Ana**

Sable was glomped by Beth, followed quickly by Kate and KIX. Dom jumped in there, just to be funny. Sable forced her way through the throng and stumbled into the living room, beaming. I stood up and hugged her tightly. "Thanks for letting us stay again, Sabes!"

"No problem!" she replied, and I turned her around to face those she hadn't met before. She smiled shyly. "Hi," she said.

"Hi," the others replied.

Introductions followed, with Sable's reactions being predictable. With Iggy, she knocked fists; with Max, she politely nodded and gave her little innocent, 'nice to meet you' smile. With Fang, she didn't smile at all, but she shook his hand and nodded, saying, "Nice to meet you," quite earnestly.

She exchanged a look with me, and as I nodded, trying to hide a grin, she turned back to the others and her face became a mask of icy steel. "Everyone, take a seat," she ordered. With suddenly wide eyes, KIX, Beth, Kate and Dom squeezed themselves onto the sofa next to Trinity (but he moved to the armrest so there was more room). Max and Fang exchanged skeptical looks, but Trinity gestured for them to sit down on the sofa as well. Dad and Angelus sat down in their vacated seats.

"Alright, everyone who wants to leave because they've already heard this, can do so." KIX, Beth, Dom and Kate ditched us—they were out of the room in a flash, their socked feet sliding as they disappeared into Sable's bedroom.

Sable put her hands on her hips and looked at us seriously. "Since you're all considered _adults_ of the flocks, I've got some rules for you. First and foremost: use your freakin' common sense. In this house, we're _all_ goody-two-shoes. If you're not, you'll be beaten to a pulp _by_ the goody-two-shoes.

"All the other rules are just to elaborate on the first. Second rule is also obvious: No sex. Nothing that _looks_ like it. Nothing that would lead to it, either. Simple kissing I'll allow. Anything else, you're dead. Hands stay outside of clothing. Shirts are not allowed to come off for guys except in cases allowed by a Goody-Two-Shoes; female clothing is modest, or else I'll have you wear something I pick out. And believe me, my sense of fashion is _not_ up-to-date.

"Third rule: At nine-thirty PM, you've got to be quiet. At ten, everyone has to be upstairs and in bed—you guys can stay awake, but keep it down. I'm a schoolgirl, as are my sisters. My dad's a teacher. Mom's got to work as well; and that's what keeps you guys funded. Understand what I mean?

"Fourth: No fighting, if you can help it. No physical fighting unless it's _pure sparring._ No blowing things up, either.

"Fifth: Showers are whenever you feel like it, but keep it under an hour, purely because others will need to use the shower. Younger kids go first, and then the adults have to decide who's in most need of the shower next.

"Sixth: You will help out with our chores. Younger kids get to sweep, dust, and tidy up down here. Boys get the garbage in the kitchen, empty the dishwasher, and help carry the laundry baskets to the laundry room. Girls get the garbages in the bathrooms, are in charge of their own laundry, and help clean up the attic. Girls also help clear and set the table for whatever meals we do end up having together.

"Seventh: Use more common sense than you usually do. Eighth: Use more than _that._ Ninth: Shut up and deal with the freakin' rules. I'm a short, harmless little girl who will dish out corporal punishment when provoked. And you will never break a rule. Ever. Again."

"And lastly," Trinity cut in, "don't piss Sable off."

She blushed, going back into 'innocent little girl' mode. "Thanks for that, Trin," she murmured bashfully.

"No prob," he replied, and took over. "The schedule for tomorrow is pretty simple. Tomorrow, we'll tell the rules to the kids, give you a tour of the neighborhood, flying grounds, things to avoid, and hang-outs. Sable's usually up by five-thirty, so if you need any help she'll probably be in her room, or out here on the laptop. Feel free to ask questions, blah, blah—anyone hungry for dinner?"

Sable rolled her eyes. "Mom and Dad are off getting dinner for you," she replied. "I hope you like Carl's Jr. Because there's gonna be a _lot_ of leftovers, even with you guys."

"Good! We know what's for breakfast!" I replied cheerfully, and leaned over to hug Sable again. "Gosh, I missed you."

Fang, Max, and Iggy gawked at me like I was hugging the Source of the Mysterious Ticking Noise.

And I kind of was.


	30. Chapter 27: Flurry

_**A/N: **School started for Beth this past Monday, and for me it starts on the 24th. Just so you know, if we start lagging on updates.  
_

**

* * *

Ana**

After dinner, the others were sitting around on the couch watching TV. Fang was blogging, Max was surfing on the desktop in the corner, Iggy was talking with Trinity, Angelus and Dad were talking to Sable's parents, and Sable had drifted off to her room to hang out with the other kids. Or, she had, about half an hour ago.

I was in the hall, looking at the framed pictures up on one of the walls, seeing if anything had changed.

"Nothing ever changes here, does it?" Sable asked quietly, closing her bedroom door behind her.

I shook my head, smiling. "It's the one safe place."

"Will you stay here for when you actually have your baby/babies?" she questioned, hugging me from the side, looking up at the photos with me. I nodded. "Alright. Then, um, Ana… If you want to sleep on my bottom bunk, feel free to…"

"But there's enough room in the attic—"

"And you have to drop down from it. Not advisable when you're pregnant," she replied. "And anyway, my room's closer to the bathroom."

"Ugh, that's right." I sighed. "What is it, four to six weeks is when morning sickness generally kicks in?"

"Yeah. That's what I read."

"I think I'll take you up on your offer, then."

"You're four, five weeks?"

"Mhm."

"Wow…"

"Yeah, I know. It's hard to believe, and _Trin…_" A goofy smile broke out on my face, and Sable giggled. "Trin's going to be a great daddy."

"You bet he is," she agreed. "Have you two decided on any more names yet?"

"No. We're going to wait and see if we _need_ more names before we start coming up with them."

"Speaking of that," Sable began, and I realized this was where she'd wanted to get all along, "when do you want to go see the good doctor Tamlin?"

"You really like that guy, don't you?" I teased. "When do you advise, Ms. Nurse?"

Sable grinned and stepped back. "An ultrasound can detect a multiple pregnancy as early as six weeks. This is the only way to be truly sure. Because your progress will be farther along than a normal human pregnancy, you'll probably be good for a visit soon. Doctor Tamlin would like to see you as soon as possible, not just for finding out how many children you'll be having, but also to instruct you on your options. It is important that you know how to take care of yourself, your children, and your future—and he continues on from there," she recited.

I smiled in reply. "I'll go ask Trinity when he'd like us to go, alright?" She waved her hands at me in a shooing motion, and I leaned around the corner of the photo wall to peer into the living room. The couch was right along that wall, and there was a lamp right above my head; Trinity was leaning on the armrest below the lamp. I poked his head until he turned around, eyebrows raised in amusement.

"When do we want to go to visit doctor Tamlin?"

His face cleared. "Oh. How soon can we?"

Sable's head appeared over my shoulder. "Whenever you want, he said."

"As soon as possible, then?" Trinity looked at me questioningly. I nodded.

"Alright! If I remember correctly—"

"And you do," Trinity inserted.

"Monday through Wednesday hours are 10AM to 5PM. Tomorrow's Monday, so we're good!" Sable beamed at us. "So, how about you two, Gabe and-or Angelus, and I go? We can get a recording of the ultrasound if Tamlin decides you should have one on your first visit, so not everyone has to come. And you should probably take either Gabe or Angelus with you as well, so that Tamlin can have a reference to other Avian-American pregnancies, just to be safe."

Trinity and I nodded. "We'll take both our parents," I decided.

"Alrighty, sounds good," Trin replied.

Sable smiled and the conversation was over; she slipped off down the hall to her room again.

* * *

**Trinity**

Being woken up is not the greatest thing in the best of times, and it is made all the worse when you are not woken by the one you are to marry, but by the bouncing wild thing everyone knows by Catlyn being thrown on top of you with a loud squeal.

"Catlyn, three letters: WTF?" I groaned, trying to shove her off me.

"Two words. SAVE ME!" She rolled away only to hide behind me, Max towering over both of us with a look that could kill.

"What'd she do?" I asked Max. "Wait, do I want to know? And what time is it?"

Max kept glaring. "No, you most certainly do not. And it's noon. And I am going to get her if it's the last thing I do!"

Catlyn cowered behind me.

"Noon?" I sat up. "Why didn't anyone wake me up?"

"What about meee?" Catlyn demanded.

"You're on your own. You need to stop getting in trouble. Learn your lesson. That sort of stuff."

"But it's fun." She pouted.

I left before I could get caught up in their argument.

Apparently Ana had also only _just_ gotten up: as I dropped down from that attic, she was stumbling down the hall.

I smiled and slipped my arms around her waist from behind, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "Morning," I breathed.

She smiled slightly. "More like afternoon."

"True." I pecked her cheek again and then released her to continue our walk down the hall.

"You're up!" Sable beamed at us and held out a plate of food; her gaze was calculating, watching Ana very carefully. Sure enough, Ana hesitated while reaching for it. and I hesitated when reaching out for it. Sable's eyes flickered up to Ana's face, and then she shoved the plate onto the table, grabbed Ana's arm, and dragged her down the hall again to the bathroom—just in time for Ana to choke, gag, and then puke into the toilet.

I sat beside her and held back her hair as she emptied the contents of her stomach, and let her lean back against me when she was done. I gave her the cup of water Sable had handed me and Ana made a face but took it from me. "I am going to hate morning sickness."

_So'm I,_ I thought blithely.

She shoved away from me and stood up stiffly, actually holding out a hand to me. "Ok. We're good." I rolled my eyes at her and stood up on my own.

"Here, Ana, try these." Sable had reappeared with a small package of saltines. "Just a few nibbles, don't gorge yourself. It's easier to have small, but frequent snacks than few, but large meals when you're pregnant, I hear. And when do you want to leave?"

Ana glanced at me and snickered. "Whenever Trin's ready. Of course he needs to change out of his pajamas and eat first."

"Eat? No, not hungry. And I'll go get changed now." I rolled my eyes at her, patted her head, and then went back towards the attic.

Thankfully, the others were all having breakfast by now and even Catlyn and Max were gone. I found myself frowning as I grabbed a change of clothes. Catlyn was impossible, uncontrollable…and she was strangely magnetic in personality. She fit with us, somehow. But how to get her to behave? I'd have to ask Angel.

I went down to the bathroom and changed, took care of basic personal hygiene and then came back out and joined the small group of Ana, Fang, Sable, Gabe and Dad, who were hanging out in the hallway by the door.

"Ready to go yet, Girly?" Ana teased.

I stuck my tongue out at her and we filed out to the car. Ana and I sat in the very back; Sable sat in a middle-row seat beside Fang, and Dad and Gabe were up front, with Gabe driving. Sable was leaning over the shoulder of the driver's seat, giving instructions.

Ana took my hand and began rubbing it. "Your hands are cold," she grumbled.

"Because I just washed them," I reminded her, and then had a devious idea. Without removing her hands, I slipped my hand under her shirt to rest on her stomach. She nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Your hands are _freezing!"_ she whined.

"Shh," I murmured, and leaned down and pressed my ear to her abdomen.

"They said no earlier than nine weeks—"

"But you're already showing, and you're probably farther than a normal human would be at five weeks… Shh…" She shook her head, but smoothed back my hair.

I could hear…faintly…

"_Wow…"_

Her hands paused. "You really hear?"

"I wouldn't joke about this," I responded, breathless. "But… It's just… I can hear a little heartbeat…"

Her hands left my hair to rest on her stomach and she looked down at me, a smile on her face. "Wow is right..."

I nodded, and closed my eyes to engulf myself in that heartbeat. It was perfectly in time with my own, and a new grip on reality came upon met as I listened to it.

_I was going to be a FATHER. _A dad. A father. I was going to have a little baby of my own… My own little baby… I'd thought I'd been shocked, surprised, ecstatic before. I'd thought I'd known what happiness was before.

I had been wrong.

"What is it?" She was questioning me, most likely because of how still I'd become. I smiled at her brilliantly.

"It just keeps hitting me," I said, "the happiness. I keep thinking I can't feel any happier, love you any more… But I keep getting proven wrong."

I felt it hit me again as she smiled back in turn, just as happy as me. "You'll make a great Daddy."

"Of course," Sable said happily. "And you'll be a great mom. You guys ready for this?"

We nodded and I straightened up, but didn't let go of Ana's hand. Soon as the car parked and the others had gotten out, we followed and chased after Sable, who'd skipped up the stairs into the home-like building. Inside was large, spacious, and cozy. There was a desk, with two women sitting there behind it, and a few girls of varying ages were sitting in chairs around the room. There were two guys; one was with one of the girls, sitting in a chair, looking bored; the other was a familiar young doctor, who was shaking hands with Sable.

He smiled at us apologetically. "Would you mind waiting for maybe fifteen minutes? I have a previous appointment that I really have to take care of."

Ana nodded. "That's OK, we don't mind waiting."

"Just take a seat, there are snacks and refreshments in the room out that door, and there's a television set in there as well. Make yourself at home." He smiled cheerfully, and then turned to one of the girls who was waiting around the room. "Ellie Hart?" The girl nodded fearfully, but her expression eased under his kind eyes. "Let's go see the baby, shall we?"

She nodded again and followed him out the door he'd come in.

I led Ana over to a couch, and hugged her tightly as she sat down beside me. The others spread out through the room; Fang and Sable sat down in chairs close by, while Dad and Gabe picked up some parenting magazines that were on a table. Fang was eyeing one such magazine, as if debating whether to pick it up or not.

"Oh, go ahead and pick it up Mister Uncle. You'll need to know soon enough anyway."

His cheeks colored, but he picked it up and began flipping through. Ana poked me in the ribs, and then leaned up to whisper, "How soon do you think he and Max…?"

"Oh, he's a chicken, he has to build up the nerve to ask her," I replied quietly. "I'd say maybe another five years…"

Fang shot me a mental barb of annoyance as he turned a page.

I just grinned at him over the top of Ana's head, sending him an extremely smug feeling. He glared at me.

"OK, maybe four years."

Sable giggled behind her hand, but then dissolved into a fit of coughing. Fang glared at her as well. "I'm surrounded and outnumbered. This isn't looking good for me," he remarked.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you can handle three years." Dad laughed.

Fang hid his face in the magazine. "Even my own _father!"_ he moaned.

I shrugged. "Dude, it's not like you're gonna ask her by the end of the week--and don't take that as a challenge, you'll fail miserably."

He shook his head. "I'm ending this conversation now."

I looked back at Ana. "Told you. Chicken."

She smiled. "Very."

"Kentucky Fried Chicken," Gabe said dryly.

Fang put down his magazine and glared at Gabe. "I am not fried."

Ana shrugged. "Then I guess you're grilled."

"Of all the stupid bird jokes, it had to be this…" Fang sank down in his chair and held up the magazine, and I decided to give him a break.

Ana kept snickering until the door opened again and the doctor was standing there. He smiled at us warmly. "Ana and company?"

We stood, and Sable took Ana's hand. "Here!" she proclaimed.

"Alright. Follow me." Doctor Tamlin led us down a cozily carpeted hall, and then into a small, but comfortable office. He pulled out a chair for Ana, and then sat down behind his desk. We took seats around the room. "To begin with, my name is Tate Tamlin, and I'll be your doctor here. Everything we do here is purely confidential within California state law; and in your case, some things will never be said or leaked—that, I promise you.

"If you ever feel uncomfortable, please let me know. I don't want to do _anything_ make you feel out of sorts, or uneasy. Rest assured, I know first-hand how bad things are at ITEX, and I'll take any precautions necessary to make sure you aren't stressed unnecessarily.

"Any information you'd like, just ask and we'll provide it. If you decide you want to find out how to apply for jobs, or get a home of your own, or an education, we can help you. We don't just help women have their children and then abandon them—we help you through it all."

"Thank you, doctor," Ana said, smiling.

I took her hand and nodded at Tamlin. "What do you want to do, exactly? Sable said you had an ultrasound...?"

"First thing, yes, I would like to do an ultrasound. This will be the easiest way to tell how many children you'll be having, and it'll also give me a general idea of their health. If it would be alright with you, I'd like only to have Trinity and Ana come in, due to space restrictions. We can record the ultrasound for the others to see."

"We'd like that, thank you." Ana stood and followed Doctor Tamlin. I glanced back quickly at the others, who all nodded or waved me on or gave some sign of encouragement, like I needed it, then I followed.

The doctor gestured to a hospital bed, much like the one I had stayed in not too long ago. I helped Ana onto it, and then listened to Dr. Tamlin, who was messing with what looked like a computer monitor. "Since you're so early on, we may or may not see much," he warned. "While, as hybrids, your progress will be much, much faster than a normal human's, we can't be sure _how_ fast—"

"I heard the heartbeat today," I told him. "Loud and clear."

His eyes widened slightly. "Really? And you're only five weeks along?" he asked Ana. She nodded.

"So at five weeks, you heard what doctors can only hear at nine to ten weeks, _with_ special equipment…" He stared at us in awe and wonder.

"Well…my hearing's really good…"

"But still!"

"Um, hello?" Ana was blushing slightly as the attention was called bak to her. "I'm sure it's fascinating, but can I see my babies now?"

Dr. Tamlin nodded, returning to his professional air. "Alright, just roll up your shirt a little bit…" He applied the gel, and then took the transducer and pressed it against Ana's stomach. I held Ana's hand again as the monitor lit and Tamlin reached over to tap it. "Good heart beats on both of them…and no others, it looks like. Unless someone is really good at hiding."

"…_Both?" _Ana and I breathed, both of our eyes enlarged to the size of dinner plates, gazes locked on the screen where it had just shifted from the fuzzy black-and-white image to a strange orange-and-black vision.

Dr. Tamlin smiled to himself as he drew a circle with a finger around a small, rather peanut-shaped figure on the screen. "That's one," he said, and then drew another circle around another peanut. "And that's the other."

Ana's grip on my hand went completely slack for a moment, and then returned in a crushing hold. "Twins?"

"Twins," Dr. Tamlin replied.

"Fraternal or identical?" I asked.

"Girls or boys?"

"Or both?"

"Can you tell?"

Dr. Tamlin held up his free hand in a placating gesture. "It looks like fraternal; seems as if there are two separate placentas. However, they may look quite alike, even if they aren't identical. And no, we can't tell the genders quite yet. In a normal pregnancy, it can be as early as sixteen weeks. I would say for you, Ana, it would be at maybe ten, at the earlies—Lookie!"

Ana gasped as one of the babies squirmed. I merely gaped, unable to make a sound. It barely registered as Dr. Tamlin continued, in a slightly awed voice, "Yes, that looks like nine weeks right there… So that would mean that you're two weeks ahead of schedule now… Later that would be…"

"Due date?" I found myself wondering.

"I'd say in five months."

"A six month pregnancy!"

"I can't be sure," he hastened to amend, "and I'd rather like to talk to your fathers before I draw any conclusions—but at this rate, I'd like to roughly guess at six months."

I let my head fall down to the bed, resting my cheek there so I could still see the screen.

"I'm going to kill Sable," I muttered dazedly.

"Strangely prophetic," Ana echoed.

Dr. Tamlin rotated his twirling chair more towards the monitor, and he frowned, tapping his chin. "Is that… I do believe that this one has _wings _growing… I can't be sure from this angle at all, but I do believe I'm right."

I thought Ana was going to crush my hand into a fine dust when she shrieked. "What?!? What about the other one?"

"I can't see from this angle," he said, lowering his voice soothingly. "But if one has them, the other will as well, no doubt."

Her grip on my hand slackened a little. "You better be right..."

"If you come back, let's say every week or so? Or every other week would be fine—the babies will definitely have moved to a different position, so we might be able to see."

She gave a sharp nod and the look on her face was fierce, there was no arguing with her. "We're coming. Every week." I kissed her cheek.

"That's a lot of recordings for the baby album," I teased.

"Then we're just going to need a bigger album."

I grinned at her. "How about we go find out how big of one we're going to need from Dad and Dad?"

She nodded, slipping off the bed. "Sounds good." She smiled at Tamlin. "Thank you."

"Anything I can do," he replied.

I grinned at them both and started to tug her along after me. "Let's go get the Dads--Tamlin, you got the recording?" He nodded. "Good. Can they watch it here before we leave?" He nodded again. I grinned at Ana. "They're going to freak out."

She laughed. "Let's go!"

We came back into the office room, laughing gaily and nearly dancing with happiness. Fang and Sable jumped up--only for Fang to sit back down awkwardly. Sable didn't notice him, asking eagerly. "Well?"

"I'm not going to tell you!" Ana replied. "You'll have to see for yourself!"

Sable turned to Tamlin and he laughed as well. "They already asked, you can watch before you leave."

She squealed and then hugged Fang around his neck. His eyebrows disappeared under his fringe, but she didn't let go, leaning against his shoulder as Dr. Tamlin inserted the disc into his computer, and the first static of the ultrasound appeared.

Both Grandpas wondered over, and they had the same expression on their face that I had a moment ago. As if it was just now really hitting them that they were that old.

And then the 3D came on, and the circles Dr. Tamlin had drawn with his fingers on the touch screen came up—this time labeled with _Twin A _and _Twin B_.

And every single jaw in the room dropped.

Ana swung my hand. "Twinning is more likely in families in which it's already occurred." She smiled at me and Fang. Fang gawked.

"I am never, ever doing it with Max, I am never, ever doing it with Max…"

Just wait," I told him. "Remember what Angel says?" I elbowed him and he turned pale.

"They don't _look_ human," Sable murmured. "They look like little bitty peanuts."

"And yet—they're completely human!" I agreed. "Well, mostly human—but we're special like that. But—still!" I felt like jumping up and down, and Fang's eyes widened, and his lips spread in a glorious smile, feeding off of my abundant happiness. "I can't stop smiling! My face has frozen this way!"

Ana leaned over and pressed her mouth to mine. "Not anymore," she said as she pulled away, beaming.

I wrapped my arms around her waist. "Thanks for unfreezing me."

"Anytime." She joined her hands behind my neck, and then leaned down and kissed me again. Both of us ruined it by grinning, and then I pulled her close and together we nearly fell out of the chair by jumping up and down.

Fang looked at us as if we'd lost it. Maybe we had.

Dr. Tamlin let it soak in for a few moments, and then he cleared his throat. "I wanted to ask you, Angelus, Gabriel, a few questions about your wives when they were pregnant. The data I can steal from ITEX isn't very conclusive."

They nodded, and Dad spoke. "We sort of expected that. Ask away."

"How long did the pregnancy last?" The doctor's pen was poised above a clipboard.

"About six months for Lizzy," Dad said. Gabriel nodded in agreement.

"And how big were the kids when they were born? Were their wings developed already?"

"They were the size of normal preemies," said Dad, holding his hands apart to give us a better idea. "And they had prickly little, stubby wings."

Tamlin nodded as he jotted something down. "Anything else you can think of that we should know?"

The two men exchanged glances. "Very quick and easy labors," Gabriel said. "I don't know how things like anesthesia or painkillers would affect it, if they would at all—both of us weren't in very ideal situations."

Tamlin kept a straight face. "Would your wives agree with you on that?"

"Of course not," the men replied without hesitation.

Ana laughed dryly, and for a moment I tried to picture...I blanched. If Ana was crushing my hand to dust now...I could feel Fang's amusement.

"Just you wait," I reminded him.

"I'm planning on a hospital, man," he said, holding his hands up. "I don't care if Max kills me. I'm keeping all my bones intact."

"Keep dreaming." I stuck my tongue out at him, and he rolled his eyes. Ana shook her head and smacked both of us over the heads.

Sable waved the ultrasound recording in front of our faces. "Come on, the other's need to see this!"

"Alright, alright!" We looked at Doctor Tamlin.

"I'll call you tomorrow to set up another appointment. How does that sound?" he asked, an amused smile on his face.

Ana looked like she could have hugged the guy. "Yes! That'd be great. Thank you."

"It's nothing," he replied, and literally laughed as Ana pulled me out the door, practically dancing.

We piled into the car, a heck of a lot more giddy than when we came. Everyone was grinning an laughing. I hugged Ana. "Twins...!"

"We've got to get two more names!" she replied, her voice tight with either fear or excitement—or both. "Ideas?"

"Anthony!" I laughed. "Gabriella? Roger. I can't believe this!"

"Neither can I!" she squee'd, and hugged me tighter. "Wait until the others hear—they'll be so surprised!"

"I know!"

We kept going around and around, in a cycle of happy gaiety, seeming to feed off of each other. Sable was smiling, watching us as if just being in the same car as us was making her day. Fang, too, was smiling inwardly.

I craned my neck to see his eyes, and then I laughed and leaned back to whisper, "Oh my gosh, Ana, he's _jealous._"

She glanced at him and snickered behind her hand, trying to muffle the sound. "Are you sure? I think we're giving him some resolve. He might be able to actually handle three years now!"

I covered my grin with a hand. Fang glared at us. "I don't know what you're saying," he said, "but you better stop it now."

"Three and a half?" I suggested to Ana.

"Most likely." She stuck her tongue out at Fang. "Big baby."

He flipped us both off and then buried his face in his hands. "Max is going to kill me…"

We broke off into laughter and continued on the way home in relative silence. When we got back the car was practically surrounded. "Can we see? Can we see?"

"Inside," Sable bellowed. "Everyone in!"

We were dragged inside, and I sat down in a chair by the laptop; Ana was shoved onto my lap, which was fine with me, and then Sable put the DVD in the laptop…

There was dead silence. For two seconds. Then the concept of Twin A and Twin B settled in…

"WHAT?"

"Awwww!"

Max was gaping, KIX was holding Beth, whose knees had given way as she glomped Ana; Nudge and Catlyn were chattering on about names, genders, and—mostly on Nudge's part—clothes, and the others were doing the same, and also begging us to make them aunts and uncles and babysitters. The others, excluding Angel.

She was sitting primly on the sofa, a huge smile on her face, her chin on her hand and her eyes sparkling.

I smiled at her and she winked at me. She'd known exactly what was going to happen, to each of us, and now she got to see it come to be... I sat beside her, feeling incredibly grateful to this little girl for saving my life. "Hey, Ange."

"Hey, Trin." She beamed at me, her eyes scrunching up with the action. I brushed some of her curls out of her face. "Any idea what names you're going to choose for other options?"

I shook my head. "Not yet. Once the shock wears off—"

"You and I both know it won't."

I laughed. "Once the _initial_ shock wears off, we'll sit down and look."

She flipped her hair out of her eyes. "I like Gabriella. It's like High School Musical. I liked the first one....didn't really care for the others," she added wistfully.

"Gabriella… Mhm. I like that." I began braiding the lock of hair I'd been playing with, and she smiled.

"I'm glad," she said, and although she was smiling, her eyes were suddenly far away, and the wistful tone became almost sad.

Worry filled my heart, but she didn't say anything else.


	31. Chapter 28: If I Told You

**...She'd have to Kill You

* * *

**

**_A/N: _**_I was re-reading previous chapters and noticed so many stupid mistakes. If you'd be so kind and help me by, with your reviews, alerting me of them? That way I'd have some record of what exactly I need to edit, when I finally get around to it._

_ And something that goes to show that we, indeed, are--mostly--making this up as we go: I originally had Gabriel be twenty-one. I changed that glaring error, but...oh my. =blushes=_

_We're so mean._

**

* * *

Trinity**

Of course our happiness couldn't go on uninterrupted.

_"Screeeeeeeeeeeeee!"_

We all whipped around to stare at Dom, who's gaze was now locked onto a confused Catlyn's. She looked around at us, for once completely serious and actually innocent looking. "What did I do? I swear I didn't do anything this time!"

Dominic gestured wildly at Sable, and then jabbed his finger at Catlyn. _"Scree-eee!"_

One name: _'Emma'._

I looked at Catlyn without really seeing her, quickly putting what I'd been told about Emma and what I knew about Catlyn together and coming up blank. I looked back at Dom. "What about her?"

"What about me?"

I ignored her, Nudge had already tossed her arm around her friend's shoulders and Gassy looked determined to get to the bottom of things. That trio had things covered.

"Dom?"

"_That's Emma!"_ he screeched. _"Sable--!"_

Sable blinked, and looked at Catlyn carefully. "Identical," she admitted. "They look exactly alike…"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Catlyn had gone very pale and stiff, and it was like she had to force the words out. It was obvious she was lying, and Gazzy and Nudge's determined faces wavered, flickering to her and she stayed stiff as a board. "I don't know. Really."

"Catlyn," I said calmly. "It would probably be better if you just tell us. Otherwise, we can do nothing but suspect the worst."

She glared daggers at me. "And what would that be?"

"That you're Emma, and our safety's been compromised—"

"She's not Emma," Angel said. "I saw Emma in ITEX, and we'd already found Catlyn by then."

"Looks like that got shot down. No way in hell am I her." Catlyn sank onto the couch looking away from us. "Guess again."

Sable nodded. "Sister, twin, clone, daughter from the future?"

Catlyn's lips twitched. "Close on most accounts. Daughter from the future? Really? Ew!" She laughed.

"Hey, it could happen!" Sable laughed as well. "I'm sorry. I'm out of ideas. Part of the same experiment? Oh—did you steal her DNA and copy her face or something?"

"Yes to the first, no to the second." Catlyn began to bounce, and that pleading look she'd given anytime we'd caught her with duct tape returned. "Can we just drop it? I'm not like her." She grinned at me. "You know, it'd be really cute if you named one of the baby's Destiny, and if she had Ana's eyes, because then you could dress her in little dresses to match and she'd be super cute…"

We looked at each other. "Should we drop it, do you think…?" Max questioned.

Ana shook her head vigorously. "I don't want any dangerous secrets around my babies."

Nudge's face was pained. "It isn't dangerous, is it, Catlyn?" she asked quickly.

Catlyn looked up at Nudge, biting her lip. "Not from me...Emma's the one." She took a deep breath. "We were...an experiment. Just one. I mean, there were others of course, more trial runs--they all died. But we...we weren't supposed to be a _we_. We were the only one that became a _we_. We weren't supposed to be a _we_. Just one. " She looked around at us. "Something in the Fallen. They can't be replicated exactly, there can't be any cloning. Something just falls apart...and then you get us."

"Hyper, insane girls?" KIX questioned, and gave her an encouraging smile.

She smiled and shook her head, and again I noticed the eyes. The strange brown-red, not quite Fallen...

She laughed. "No. Failures. They wanted to do further testing, and I weighed, like, half an ounce more and that decided it. I got the experiments and she got left to rot, literally. Everything else is identical, but she...She hates me for it. I mean, the way she views it, we're identical, sure, but she's better. And those freaks at the school really messed her up."

"Tell me about it," Sable murmured.

Catlyn nodded. "It's not really her fault, though, if that makes any sense...I mean, she scares me silly and all, and I'm not sure what exactly you'd call us. Twins, sisters, clones, whatever. But I can totally get her point of view. I mean....she's me, just different."

"Alright," I said. "You're not going to spontaneously combust, or jump at us and try to drink our blood then, are you?"

"Or duct tape me to the wall?" somebody inserted jokingly.

She shrugged, grinning. "Not that I'm aware of."

"Then—there's no problem, is there, guys?"

Sable raised her hand. "Do you happen to know if Emma_ likes_-likes Luce?" she asked, her face impassive.

The look Catlyn gave Sable was more serious than I'd ever seen her. "Don't underestimate her. Yes, she does, and right now all she sees you as is a threat. If you become more than a threat, and she realizes Luce is actually into you before she loses interest, then...you're probably both worse off than dead."

Sable nodded. "Thanks for the warning," she said earnestly.

Catlyn shrugged, light again. "No problem. Just remember how bad those guys can mess with people."

"I wish I could forget," pretty much everyone said.

"Mhm." Catlyn nodded slowly before grinning slyly at Sable. "Sooooooo....when do we get to meet Luce?"

Sable turned bright red. "Whenever he decides to drop in," she replied. "Moving on—"

"I don't wanna move on. I wanna meet my sister-twin-clone-thing's crush and my friend's boyfriend."

"And I want to meet my little sister's boyfriend," I said, joining in on the fun. "I've got to make sure he's _safe._"

"Yeah," KIX said, putting an arm around Sable's mortified shoulders. "Big brother's gotta _approve_."

Beth stuck her tongue out at Sabes. "And what about sister approval?"

"Oh man," Sable whined. "Someone, help!"

I laughed evilly. "No way, Sabes. He has to get through all of us."

Ana crossed her arms. "Are you afraid he's not up to grade?"

"No! I--"

"It's because he's gay, isn't it?"

"Iggy!"

Sable slapped him. Hard. He blinked, and then grinned. "He _is!"_ He ducked, but she punched his shoulder.

"Jerk!"

She rounded on us. "Who's next?" she demanded, flushing again.

Fang used his excellent poker face. "Is he emo?"

"Fang!" She lunged at him, but he was quicker than Iggy, and escaped. "No, he's not! He used to be all Edward Cullen I'm-a-Monster, but he's better now!"

"So you say. Maybe he's still super drama king and that's why we haven't met him!" Beth ducked behind KIX.

"Angel!" Sable called despairingly. "You've met him!"

Angel smiled angelically. "He was flirting with Emma," she said, obviously lying; but it was ammo. Even if it was fake ammo, it was ammo. We rounded on Sable again, who was rolling her eyes.

"So, he's cheating on little sister, is he?" I asked rhetorically.

"Can I blow him up?" Gasman asked.

Sable looked ready to tear her hair out. Or maybe someone else's. "Shut up!"

"So I can! Sweet!" Gazzy laughed.

"Blow who up?" a confused voice asked.

I swear everyone was about ready to jump out of their skin as we turned around to face the newcomer. Someone muttered, but I couldn't tell who. "Speak of the devil..."

"Luce!" Sable put her hands on her hips. "They're bullying me about you."

"Oh." He frowned. "Well...how's that going? They want to blow me up?"

"Well, Gazzy does. The others want to interrogate you. Fang things you're emo, Iggy thinks you're gay—"

Luce's cheeks flushed, and he looked around at everyone carefully, with his ruby red eyes, and his teeth bared in a nervous smile. "I think I'd prefer the blown-to-bits thing over the interrogations," he said.

Iggy crowed. "I knew it! I knew he was a gay emo!"

"You have permission to kill him," Sable said.

Luce's smile turned quite fearsome, and he let rip a loud growl. Iggy's hysterical laughs faded into a nervous chuckle. "Umm… Gay as in happy? Which cancels out the emoness, so I'm calling you perfectly normal?"

"You're lying," Luce drawled. "I can smell it."

Iggy gulped. And then Luce burst out laughing. "I'm sorry, but the look on your face—"

Iggy laughed along awkwardly. "Yeah..."

Catlyn waved at him from her seat on the couch. "Hi, Luce!"

"Hey, Catlyn." He smiled pleasantly. "Nice to see you in good company."

She made a face at Dom. "See, he can tell the difference between us."

Dom squawked indignantly. "He only saw Emma once," I translated. "It was an honest mistake. And ever since Zach visited Sable, he's been ultra defensive about her." Sable smiled and squeezed Dom's hand appreciatively, before letting go and clasping her hands behind her back and turning her eyes to Luce.

Beth gave Luce a long look before shrugging. "He'll do."

"How come you guys are being so hard on me?" Sable moaned. "I've only _ever_ served you… Woops, wrong quote. Um. I've only _ever_ been nice to you! That's it…"

I laughed. "Smooth. Hey, you're our little sis, we've got to take care of you. It's a family thing."

She glared at us, tossed her hair over her shoulder, and then turned back to Luce. "What are you doing here?"

"After we got wind of these guys leaving New York, Zach got tired of the gloom and we flew back over here," he replied. "And he subsequently gave me a day off."

I grinned. "And I bet you're having a wonderful break, what with having to meet the family and all."

He nodded. "Yeah, just great. Sable's told me a lot about you guys."

"Oh no," Ana said in mock-terror.

Luce laughed. "She's only had good things to say," he assured us.

"And what do you think she's told us about you? Remember, we were trying to blow you up a minute ago."

"I'm guessing she told you the facts," he replied. "They weren't very pretty."

"But she told us the whole truth," I nodded. "She's a good one, but to us only if you've only heard good things."

Luce peered at Sable quizzically, who was looking anywhere but him. "Well, there were some less than flattering things she told me," he admitted. "In the form of ranting about how so and so was being so thick-skulled and needed to open their eyes and see whatever it was…"

Ana blushed, and Sable glared at Luce. "You're not making any friends," she warned.

The others snickered, and he just smiled innocently, his entire face lighting up; but his eyes were wide open, watching her with a predatory gleam. It was unnerving, but attractive, and hypnotizing. Sable just rolled her eyes and his smile widened into a huge grin. "You've grown immune?" he asked.

She shrugged. "To _you,_ yes."

"Good. Then there's a good chance you'll be immune to the other Fallen as well."

"What with their good lucks and Cullen-like charm," Ana mused. "Hm, yeah. That would be useful…"

"Especially when you can't really fight back," Sable explained.

"Well, there's always pepper spray…" Luce trailed off, almost hopefully, but Sable rolled her eyes.

"Like that'll help."

"It might." He shrugged. "You never know."

"But—"

"Guys," I cut in.

"Bickering like an old married couple," Fang said dryly.

Catlyn looked at Fang as if he were an idiot. "Do you want Sable to kill you?"

"Like she can," he retorted.

Sable tossed her hair over her shoulder again, suddenly calm and collected. "I might." She shrugged. "You never know." Luce grinned at her.

Catlyn laughed at Fang. "When she kills you can I auction off your things to the fangirls?"

_**(A/N: **__Fangirl hopes rise everywhere__**...**__**)**_

Fang shook his head, but dropped it. Probably wanted to keep his stuff...

_**(A/N:**__Fangirls are crushed__**…**__**)**_

I laughed. "KFC..."

"Anyway." Sable cleared her throat. "I'd like to talk to Luce in private." The way she said it, and the way she looked at me gave me a clear view of her intentions. Someone was going to get a talking to…

"Alright. But the door stays open," I warned her. Let poor Luce have an escape route.

The younger set had gone incredibly pale at the hint of Sable's wrath. "Luce...we pity you."

He blinked, and then his eyes widened—but Sable had grabbed his arm and was dragging him off down the hall before he could do anything. I had trouble keeping a straight face.

"Poor guy."

* * *

**3****rd**** POV**

Sable released Luce as they reached her room, and he fell back against the wall, right beside the door, looking away to avoid her piercing glare. "Sable, I—"

"You _left_ without telling me. _Do you have any idea how scared I was?"_ she seethed. "I thought ITEX was on to us or something!"

"Sable—"

"And then when Emma came, I thought—"

His head snapped up. "Emma?" he demanded.

"Yeah, Emma!" she continued. "You just saw Catlyn, remember? Speaking of which, we just found out about that! And what is this about her liking you being dangerous? She just has issues! Even if she's with Itex, it's not that big of a deal.

"Well, yeah, Emma, but I didn't think she knew about you… How'd she know about you?" He ran a hand through his hair, his fingers tangling there in frustration. "I've never even mentioned you…" He closed his eyes and shook his head. "That just proves how dangerous she is. And she's even worse—she's as strong as us, the Fallen, just more fragile. She can dish it out, but she can't take it. She'll find a way to unleash the Grotesques; she's got ITEX on her side. _That's_ how dangerous it is."

"...And Catlyn's like her, in almost every way?" Luce nodded. "That would explain the ceiling.

"Sable, be serious!"

She sighed and reached out for him, and he pulled her close. "I know," she sighed. "It's just… I don't want to have to be afraid of liking you…"

"Think about how I feel," he murmured. "I can't even let anyone know about you at all…"

She leaned against him. "But there are the others here you can talk to, my family. Real and adopted--they can be yours too, you know."

Luce pressed his lips to her hair. "Thanks… I have a feeling I'm going to need them someday."

"And they'll be there." She smiled. "As long as they don't blow you up first--I might have to kick them out for that."

He bent his knees a bit, so that he was at eye level and she was leaning forward, and he captured her lips in his for the slightest moment, before pulling away to murmur, "Let them blow me up. God knows that I deserve it." He caught her mouth again before she could protest.

* * *

Emma stared. Emma stared and stared. Lucifer. Her Lucifer. He was nothing. He didn't want her. He didn't want her, he wanted someone else. They all wanted someone else. Why? Because she wasn't good enough. Or bad enough. She simply wasn't enough. She blinked.

No. She was. She'd show them. She was enough. She was enough to break them.

She leaped lightly from her hiding place, not caring if they saw her and yet they still didn't see.

It was time to tattle on Lucifer.

* * *

Zachary looked up as she entered, disdain on his weary face. He had dark circles under his eyes, and there was a cup of coffee—cooling, and probably extra-caffeinated—by his elbow. He didn't look happy.

_Perfect._

"Hey Zachary." She smiled, as innocent looking as ever. "I know something that you might be interested in. Do you have time?"

"Is it _really_ important?" he demanded.

"Oh, I don't know… It's about Lucifer…"

He bolted upright, alert instantly. "What is it? Emma, tell me or I swear--"

"You know that Sable girl from the Family that so interested you about a month ago?" she asked—no, purred, quite calmly compared to his frantic voice. _"Well…_"

"What? Spit it out!"

She laughed and dragged her fingers across the edge of his desk, like Lucy had so many times when she was bored. "He's been seeing her. He cares for her. He's not our Lucifer anymore, he's their Luce...That's no good for us, is it?"

His eyes searched her face; he didn't believe her. She leaned forward, so that they were eye to eye. "They've kissed. He sees her on his free days. He _loves_ her. He's probably been feeding them information, he'll tell them everything, if only his _dearest little girl_ asks. That's almost—why, that's _bad_ for us, not just useless!"

Zachary's jaw set. "How do I know you're not just making this up?"

"I _wanted_ him." She tilted her head to the side. "I thought he was just curious, so I was watching...I tried to warn him away, but he just kept getting pulled in farther and farther, and now he's not fit for anyone." She leaned away, face twisting in disgust. "Morals! Bah!"

"I agree," Zachary said slowly, and then stood. "Show me."

"Don't you believe me?" She laughed cruelly. "The way he's been acting. He's not the same anymore. But if you really don't believe me, and I don't blame you, do you want to get a couple grotesques? We can head out there."

He hesitated. "Why not just more of the Fallen, the Grotesques are too…"

"The Fallen know Luce. They'll obey an order, but they might hesitate, and he's stronger than most of them. Why give a traitor the advantage?" She leaned in close again. "And we don't have to let them loose, if you don't like. We can just see..."

He gritted his teeth. "Alright."

She smiled. "So we bring them?"

"Just as many as you and I can handle," he said, relenting.

She laughed. "Wonderful. I'll get one of the transport vans and the Grotesques--you go tell Lucy how you're going to make up missing another play date."

He watched her leave, a strange feeling of worry, dread, and even fear settling in his stomach. He shuddered as he turned and headed down the hall to see his little sister.

Emma sat waiting in the passenger seat, the van rocking slightly as the Grotesques rumbled around in the back, the sedatives not quite fully kicked in yet. She smiled at Zach as he came close. "Are you ready?"

He held up a hand, and then accepted the cup of hot coffee that an intern rushed over. He slipped into the driver's side, slammed the door and buckled up, and then took a long sip of coffee. _"Now_ I'm ready." He stuck his keys in the ignition.

She waited silently as the van lurched out onto the road and kept her hands folded in her lap. As they pulled up just down the block from Sable's house, it began to rain. The sky had been dark and gloomy for the past few days, but now it let loose a mighty rumble, and as the wind picked up—cold and bitter—the first huge drops of rain splattered against the windshield. Zachary sighed in exasperation, but didn't say anything as he opened the door and got out.

"Which room are they in?" he asked.

"Her bedroom, last time I checked," she replied. "Do you want to see them first before we get the Grotesques out?"

"No… I believe you…"

She skipped around to the back of the van and flung the doors wide, leaping out of the way at the last minute as the Grotesques launched themselves out and towards the door. She shrugged at Zach. "These aren't the brightest three, but we were in a hurry."

Zachary jumped out of the way as the Grotesques charged at him, and he quickly used the button on his keys to activate their shock collars. They froze in place. "Get their effing leashes on," he growled.

"Yeah, yeah." She clipped the leashes onto the stunned beasts as if it was just another day in the office. "Wimp. You created these things."

"Yes, I did," he replied. "I created them to be mindless attack _things._ I succeeded. I have good reason to be scared. Everyone else is."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. What are you thinking now?"

"I'm thinking, I'll go, take a look, and then you come over _if I signal._ We play by _my_ book, alright?"

He saw the dangerous flash in her eyes but she just nodded, smiling sweetly. "Of course."

Zachary strolled down the sidewalk, then turned to the right so that he passed by Sable's house. Her bedroom window was thrown wide open, the blinds pulled up to reveal her warmly lit room. Sable was there, lying in the arms of—Trinity?

Ana was there too, smiling and laughing, and Sable had her ear pressed against Ana's stomach; Trinity was holding her as he lay beside her, his own ear pressed to another part of Ana's belly. "I can't hear!" Sable was moaning. "How come you guys can get super hearing and I've got to wait for the Doppler?"

Zachary backpedaled before they could notice him, and then turned and frowned at Emma. "He's not in her room," he told her.

"That's because he's right there," she hissed, and jerked her head towards something over Zach's shoulder.

Luce was there, his shoulders hunched against the rain; his hands were clenched into loose fists, ready to tighten right before impact with a chest, a jaw—ready to crunch bone. His face was impassive. His pitch black wings were hanging loosely at his sides. He drew his arm and wing in towards himself as he passed Zach, but shoved him anyway; the anger rolling off of him was tangible.

"Humans are disgusting," he snarled as he opened the car door. "You're all wretched, miserable creatures."

"Lucifer—"

"You told me to keep a damn eye on them—yeah, well I quit!" He slammed the door closed, and drew his wings around himself.

\With a long sigh Zach got into the car beside Luce, slamming the door shut on Emma, cutting her off. "Luce, what's going on here? I don't have enough coffee for this right now. Just come back and we can figure this all out later when Emma's not thirsting for blood."

"You just asked me, and then told me not to tell you what happened! Ugh, you humans confuse me!" Luce hid his face behind a wing, but Zachary could see his ruby glare in the reflection of the window.

"You know that's not what I meant. What's gotten into you? Do you have any idea what Emma's been—urgh. I had to cancel another play date with Lucy, you think I want to be here right now? "

"What's gotten _in_to me?" Luce repeated, with what sounded like a disbelieving laugh in his throat. "If I _knew_, I'd have told you. If I _knew, _I would have taken care of it, and I wouldn't be so—so—upset! And if Emma's been saying I've been getting kissy with Sable, that just goes to show how unstable she is. I hate her. I hate all of this. I wish you'd just assign me to be Lucy's bodyguard or professional playmate—she's not complicated like all of you grownups!"

"All of us grownups? What do you think you are?" Zach's voice was low and menacing. "You need to start acting your age. And we both know that despite Emma's failures she wouldn't lie when it comes to this. She's always made sure she was absolutely indisputable, and therefore unstoppable, in her actions and allegations. She's not wrong, it's the only reason we keep her around, remember? "

"I'm only _sixteen_, Zach," Luce moaned in reply. "And fine, she cut herself when I was watching outside her open window once, and I slipped up—badly. She managed to intercept my mouth and kissed. Heatedly. I apologize, I hate myself, I tore myself up for that on my own. Taze me if you want. Send me into solitary confinement. Terminate me. I'll accept my responsibilities like a _grown up." _He gave Zachary a probing, exhausted, wary look.

Zach was silent for a long moment. "Then what good would that do Emma now? How would that help her? Luce, come back. We can figure this out when she's not here. How long do you think she'll wait on us before she moves on her own? She's so close to them! She'll destroy everything!" Zach was seething about all his work, all his plans. Everything falling in ruins because someone was destroying his experiment with their ideas...

"I don't want to come back," Luce said softly. "I want to run away and throw myself into the ocean. I want to tie myself up like a mummy and jump off of the Golden Gate Bridge. I wish I could hole myself up with Lucy--I'd let her dress me up in pink ribbons like she's always wanted... Zachary, I want to go _home."_

"You have no home," Zachary said, rattled by the despondent tone of Lucifer's voice.

"I know," the blond Fallen replied just as quietly. "But it sounded nice."

"Lucifer, you do know that if you've been contaminated, I'll have to take action..."

"Then do it. I've been contaminated, I know it." He looked at Zach and Zack couldn't read his expression. "Take your action."

"Luce--"

"You wanted me to be a grown up about it."

Zachary gave Lucifer a long, long, look. And then he had a plan. "I'm holding you to your word," he said; and Luce knew he was in for a beating. He set his jaw.

Zach rolled down the window and Emma eagerly stepped forward. "Emma…go for it." She smiled and winked at Luce. He looked at Zach in confusion as Zach locked the doors and nodded towards where Emma had the Grotesques tied, and as she set them loose and they lunged for the house like the monsters they were—Luce scrambled with the lock, his fingers unable to grip it in his haste.

"NO! Zach!" He barely managed to throw the door open when he felt the sting in his back, and he was down before he realized what was happening, that Zach had used the same tranquilizer that he'd used on the Grotesques so many times before, that he was losing consciousness much too fast…

_You're project, _Luce tried to plead, but couldn't work his mouth._ They'll eat it… They'll eat your project…_

"I'm sorry, Luce."

_Not sorry enough._

* * *

**What should the Grotesques' weakness be? Is there hope for Sable, or any of the flocks and Family--is Emma as rutheless as Catlyn says? What will happen to Luce now that he's been found out? Will Zachary's entire livelihood be eaten by his own creations?**

**Review, and whoever guesses correctly will win virtual cookies. **

_Stay Safe, Keep Praying,_

_-Rae (and, I'm sure, D)  
_


	32. Chapter 29: Consequences

**I So Hate Consequences--**

_Cause I know that I let you down  
And I don't want to deal with that_

-I So Hate Consequences, Relient K

* * *

When Lucifer woke, he couldn't remember what had happened. All his sluggish mind could register was that he felt high, and he felt like Hell. He quickly realized what was wrong with him; broken ribs were the least of his problems. He wasn't going to die, that was for sure, but he was going to wish he had for a while.

And he was still feeling high off the tranquilizer…

He couldn't open his eyes, but he did figure that he was in a dark room, about six by eight, and Zachary was there with him.

"Good. You're up."

Zachary's voice was all too loud, but Lucifer knew he was keeping his voice was low as humanly possible. Zachary smoothed back Luce's hair, and then began wiping at his face. "Was I crying?" Luce asked in a gravelly voice—but really, it was just a rattle in his throat, foreign to his own ears.

Somehow, Zachary understood. "No," he answered. "That's Grotesque saliva. And blood. And snot, I think."

"Probably all three," Luce agreed, and then paused. Something was off—more than the entire broken-ribs-equal-least-of-the-problem. His groggy brain couldn't process much at the moment, and couldn't figure out what was off... "What now?"

"Business as usual. But Emma's higher status now. She's…"

"Crap. Tell me later."

"For now, however, until you can walk—you're stuck in here."

"Can I sit up?" Luce asked. Zachary nodded and slipped an arm under Luce's body, then helped pull the light-weight Fallen into a sitting position against the wall. Out of an ingrained instinct-driven habit, Luce wiggled a bit to get his wings comfortable.

And then it hit him. What was wrong, what was missing.

"How come I can't feel my back?"

Zachary shifted uncomfortably. "I'm sorry, Luce…"

"Don't 'I'm sorry' me. I'm sorry doesn't cut it. You've _ruined my life._ Don't tell me you've taken them from me. Don't tell me you've taken _everything_ from me, or I'll kill you right here—"

"It's temporary," Zachary hastened to say. "They've only clipped your flight feathers. You've still got your wings; I managed to make them agree to let you keep them… They'd already numbed your back to remove them, but I got there just in time…"

Luce's head hit the wall as everything came flooding back—in patches, like a quilt, or like the United States from above… He hadn't cried out, he'd only gasped, or hissed; but he'd taken it 'like a man'. But now, he had been so scared—so frightened—so terrified for one instant, that tears had sprung to his eyes and threatened to spill down his face. He'd been so scared that he'd lost his wings for that one moment, he thought he'd die just from that thought alone, forget about the near-fatal wounds he'd received.

And then he remembered the reason he was here in the first place. The kiss his split lips had felt, the heavenly, silken hair he'd touched—gone. Possibly dead. Possibly burning, possibly buried already. Possibly worse.

All his fault.

_All his fault._

His entire, demonic, worthless fault.

What the Hell had he thought, listening to her, letting her put herself in danger? What had he done to deserve such a horrible twist of fate? He'd been born, he'd been sold to ITEX, he'd been abandoned—rescued, redeemed, given hope. Love… Only to have it torn away in such a brutal fashion!

Why hadn't he seen this coming?

It was all his fault.

_All his fault._

"Lucifer, are you listening—"

"_Go away."_

Zachary's breath caught. His eyes were wide, and his scent reeked of surprise, regret, sadness. "Luce—"

It wasn't enough. Nothing would ever be enough. No matter how sad, how regretful, how _sorry_ Zachary Damien Moore was, it would never be enough.

"Zachary. Go. Away."

"Lucifer—"

Don't let them tell him the truth about them. Let him still think that there was hope. That there was an angel out there, still breathing, still laughing, still fighting… That he still had a reason to live…

"Lucifer, listen to—"

"GO THE HELL AWAY!" Before I kill you. Before I rip your throat out. Before he broke out of this room, destroy everyone and everything that moved, breathed, offended his furious, tear-filled eyes. Before I kill myself. Before I sink into the oblivion that is sure to follow. I've already gone insane, I've already been destroyed from the inside out, and given a physical beating to match. Wasn't that enough? Wasn't that ENOUGH!

"Alright, I'm leaving…"

Somewhere, Lucifer realized that he was switching between first person and third, that he wasn't breathing, that he was shutting himself down. A sob ripped from his throat, from deep in his chest, and as Zachary slowly backed towards the door, it was followed by a snarl, and then silence as Lucifer curled in on himself, his clipped wings covering his body as best as they could, as his body shook with the suppressed and muted sounds of conflicting snarls and sobs.

Don't let them tell him that she was gone.

Don't let them tell him that everything was gone

* * *

Angel needed a shower. A nice, long, hot shower, and then she needed to hibernate for maybe a week or two. She also needed about five ibuprofens, and an ice pack. And she knew she deserved it, too. She had, after all, pretty much single-handedly saved the entire flock, Family, and neighborhood. Even if she _had_, ultimately, failed, that still didn't change the fact that everyone was alive, and would recover.

Even though she was unconscious, and wasn't anywhere near waking up, she could still go over everything that had happened—and be angry at herself for her true failure.

It had started when she'd run into Sable's room and broken up Lucifer and her make out session. Emma had just left, and she only had moments to act. She'd explained Emma's plan, and had Lucifer leave immediately, while they thought of a plan. How could you defeat Grotesques? How could you destroy something that had indeed at one time been human? Was there a chance of leaving _right then and there_ for safety?

No, there wasn't time, there wasn't a chance. Put the younger kids, and one of the adults upstairs, ready to flee from the attic and into the air if something went wrong. Angel wasn't with them. She was downstairs, formulating a plan, a direct feed into ITEX's mind, monitoring their progress. She tried to nudge Zachary into not believing Emma—but it was impossible. Without obviously controlling him, she couldn't convince him that Emma was lying. Emma had set herself up to always telling the truth; Angel cursed her.

While the others made up their minds and settled on a plan of action, Angel paced in her corner and tuned into Everything. The hearts of the creatures and people outside, Zachary and Emma, Lucifer, the kids upstairs, the ones in the room with her, everything, trying desperately to find some way to save them from this…

And yet, in the end she hadn't really been needed at all. Gazzy had bolted down the stairs and right as she was about to yell at him for being too overprotective and that she'd be fine she saw his thoughts. In that instant she turned away from the others planning and joined him in racing down the hall, shouting for Iggy--and they'd found him, odd lumps and wires bulging out of his jacket as he tried to be prepared. It was perfect, and Angel couldn't help grinning as Gazzy started jumping up and down.

"The Grotesques can be hurt! Remember how Trin and Fang got a couple hits in before they went down? We can blow them up!"

"Hurry!" she urged, and they set about the finishing touches on their bombs. Zachary's car was just pulling up, and Sable, Trinity and Ana had rushed to Sable's room to play pretend for a few moments. Angel positioned Iggy right by Sable's door, unseen, but ready to jump into the room and launch bombs in a moment's notice. Gazzy was in the kitchen, where it connected to the main hallway, just a foot away from the door. If it opened, he'd be the first to be able to react.

She herself joined Iggy in hiding and reached out with her mind, trying to find out what was happening--she brushed on Zac and Luce and they seemed Stable at the moment, but something dark was troubling Luce, and this was effecting Zachary...Emma was losing her patience. She touched upon the Grotesques and recoiled. Their thoughts were anything but human. Iggy touched her shoulder. "You okay, Ange?"

"Grotesques need to be destroyed," she whispered. "It's the only kind thing to do."

"We can handle that much." He assured her, and as he spoke he produced a cylindrical device—obviously a bomb. Angel opened her mouth to reply but didn't get the chance. She jerked her head back towards the doors. There was hardly any warning, no way could anyone get out of the way if they were so close and Gazzy was--

"GAZZY!"

There was a yelp, the sound of the door slamming open, and then the feral snarls and that terrible, horrible slurping, snuffling sound. And then the glorious sound of a bomb going off.

Angel's knees about gave way under her in relief but she didn't let them. Instead she launched herself into Sable's room and slammed the door shut behind her as Iggy took off down the hall to help Gazzy. Then she sank to the floor. "We're going to be okay. It's just three."

Sable jumped up and shut her window, then put the burglar lock right behind it so that no one could force it open.

"Thank God for specially ordered glass," she sighed.

"Yeah." Angel's eyes flashed back to the happy family-to-be. "How're you guys?" She flinched as there was another explosion, but smiled as she heard her brother's laugh.

"We're good," Ana replied, and then gasped as a dark figure jumped past the window.

Sable stepped away from the window, only to turn and smile shakily at Ana after a minute when nothing happened. "Maybe it was one of the guys—"

"You and I both know you're lying," Trinity said grimly.

"It was Emma," Angel affirmed. She's out for you."

Sable closed her eyes. "What's she doing now, finding a way in? Where is she Ange?"

"She's circling the house. She can't get through the front door, or the back, or the roof… And she can't get through the window here."

"Will she try the window here?"

Angel shook her head. "No, she knows about it. She's thinking about trying a different wind—oh. She's in now. Your sisters' window. She's hesitating. She knows we're here, and she's small. She's planning…"

Sable glanced fearfully at the door, but Trinity was already on it, pushing the extremely heavy dresser in front of it, then two of her bookshelves, so that they were supported by the immovable bed frame, which itself was up against the wall on two sides.

Ana fretted, wrapping her arms around her middle as she remembered the Fallen. "Sable...would that hold Luce off or just get him really mad?"

"Both," Sable said. "He could punch through the door, or the wall, but he wouldn't be able to get all the way through…" She didn't add, _I think._

They listened but didn't hear Emma until there was a loud thud on the door, as if something much larger than Emma had been thrown against it and its barricade. Then there was dead silence for a second before the same loud thud echoed again, with another of Gazzy and Iggy's explosions echoing in the background. She was moving, trying to find an easier way through. She hit again, at the wall at the side of the door, and there was a loud crack this time that seemed to resonate inside the room. They heard her laugh clearly, but it was strained, tense, and irritated.

"Oh, please. Like you think that'll work."

"Um, no, I don't think it'll work," Sable squeaked.

"Good." And the next thud and crack they heard they got to see as she hit through the wall and caused it to crack on their side, and as she hit again the crack widened and they could see her smiling. "Getting through yet, people?"

Sable hurried to throw open the window again, and then threw out the screen. "Ana, get out," she urged.

"But Sable—"

"GO!" Sable bellowed, and grabbed Ana by the arm. "Trinity, help me!"

Trinity lifted Ana in his arms and put her feet outside. "Get to Fang," he ordered, kissed her, and then slammed the window closed, locked it, and then shoved Sable in a corner. "Stay."

"How sweet." Emma was standing n the room, having ripped her way through. "Mind if I interrupt?" She came easily, walking right up next to them as if it was the most normal thing in the world—as if she was Catlyn and was about to pull the funniest prank in the world ever involving duct tape and wanted their help.

Trinity tossed out his wings as if he were going to attack towards her head, and then swept her legs out from beneath her. She nearly fell, but then she caught herself and smacked him across the head. He fell to the side and hissed in pain.

She kicked him with the same force she'd used to attack the wall and his hiss became a gasp. She used this to be able to leap towards Sable, pulling her towards herself with such force that the bigger girl almost rebounded off her and back to the floor if not for her iron grip. She was amused by Sable's struggles. "I thought you liked a Fallen's embrace."

"Ew." Sable shuddered. "That's gross. No, I like _guys._ The fact that he's a Fallen is just a fact on the side."

Emma shrugged. "That's nice for the both of you, seeing as he's no longer Fallen really--do you know how they deal with that?"

"N-no…" Dread clenched Sable's heart.

"Remember." She smiled. "Remember, it's your fault."

Sable immediately felt anger melt away the dread. "I'm not falling for that guilt trip," she snarled. "What are you trying to do? Are you too afraid to kill me? Or did your _dearest_ Zachary tell you to let me live?"

"I'm not afraid at all, I'm just trying to have fun." She let Sable go and studied her, and the others in the room stayed frozen. Angel because she was studying Emma's thoughts, and Trin because Angel had warned him to. Emma was oblivious. "I don't understand...How can I frighten you? How can I make you dread before I kill you? You're not like the others..." She pouted, and it almost seemed like she'd forgotten they were there. "I don't understand you at all."

"Join the club," Trinity muttered.

"Dress up in hot pink with barf green stripes, and then maybe you'll scare me a bit," Sable said.

Emma began to sway, side to side, eyes closed. "I can't kill you if you're not afraid." She sounded small, and this time she wasn't trying. She was small and a child when it came to what she didn't know. Lost and confused without her petty rage. Within a second she stiffened, eyes snapping open and focusing on Sable. "But I can hurt you." Angel had seen her idea as soon as she had and released an angry shriek, literally flying at her. Trinity took the cue and launched himself into the fray, Iggy and Gassy were forcing their way into the room…But she was Fallen. And she'd been the one to give the Grotesques their tranquilizers.

She'd brought ten. Three for the Grotesques, two for back-up that she'd given Zach, five that she kept. It worked out nicely now.

Sable's protectors fell before her. Little, unstoppable Angel, because Emma hadn't had to thnk about the tranquilizers in her plan to take Sable and so Angel had launched herself right into the needle. Trinity because Emma was fast and strong and had got him after he'd hit her, sending her reeling but not before she'd got his arm. She threw Gazzy's at him before he had a chance to realize what was happening and was struck in the chest, his eyes rolling as he fell. She darted to Iggy's side as he ducked out of the way when his friend had fallen, and he swung out at her as she caught the needle. But she dodged, and got the tranquilizer into his system as well. She was efficient. All this in seconds. She took her time to smile at Sable. That's all she was. Smiles and fake innocence.

"I hope you hurt."

And Sable's view was already fading. Emma had already acted.

* * *

**Trinity**

"Trin! Trin! Oh God…" I could hear Ana, but I was having trouble getting my eyes to focus on her, or to open them. I felt…strange. Like back at the labs…

I heard Fang trying to soothe Ana. "Ana, he's fine. I can feel it--"

"Fine? They've been out for hours! They can't be fine!" Her panic rubbed against his calm, grating against my ears.

"Emma must have done something to them--can she do the same thing you do, Catlyn?"

And Catlyn, sounding so much like Emma in voice, yet completely different in tone and cadence: "No. I'm the only one who can do that--I can't do it well so they weren't even to try the experiment on her, unless, maybe…I guess they could've…but I don't think they could've…but I don't think they would…" She was trailing off, and as they quieted I could hear the others in the room. It sounded like everyone. Which room was I in anyway? I was on a floor, but I was on a sleeping bag. Was I in the attic? Where was Emma?

I groaned.

"Dad!" It was Fang, and I was grateful as I opened my eyes to see my brother, the mother of my unborn children, and my father by me. Dad smiled at me.

"Hey kiddo."

"Hey." I sat up slowly, looking around. Gazzy and Angel were firmly out of it beside me, but Iggy was starting to stir as well… Someone was missing…

"Sable!"

Iggy bolted upright when I shouted, only to sway unsteadily on his feet. Beth grabbed his shoulders and not too gently forced him back down.

"Where do you think you're going? The only reason you're not in the bed is because Sable's there!"

I flinched. "How bad?"

Ana kissed my head. "Fine. I'd say Iggy was worse actually, but she doesn't have bird kid healing, and it's her bed, so…"

I held my face in my hands. "What happened to Iggy?"

Iggy laughed only to be cuffed in the back of the head by Max. She spoke. "Someone wasn't too careful with their bombs. So much for being an expert."

Iggy scowled.

"It's not my fault the stupid Grotesque--"

"I don't want to hear it!"

"Can I go see her?" I asked, tuning out of their fight. They exchanged looks, and I glared at them all. "You said she wasn't as bad as Iggy, and he got hit with a bomb—and he's doing pretty well, since Max doesn't have any qualms about hitting him in his empty head!"

"She's not as bad," Fang said slowly, "but I sure wouldn't hit her over the head. Or anywhere else. She looks much worse…"

"Broken bones?"

"Nope…"

"Internal bleeding?"

"No…"

"What's up then?" I demanded.

Dad put a hand on my shoulder. "We only know that she's going to hurt _a lot_ when she wakes up. The tranquilizer that wore off on you quickly has deadened her to the world—and while she's not in any medical danger from it, let's just say that Grotesques are apparently as tough as elephants and need that much tranquilizer. Roughly, not literally, mind you, but it knocked her out."

"And that's a good thing," Ana said grimly. "I doubt she'd have survived if she'd felt that much pain…"

I felt myself stiffen. "What pain? What happened beyond the tranquilizer? What did Emma _do?"_

It was clear on their faces that no one knew.

Ana hugged me. Tightly.

"You can see her."

She helped me up, and then Fang jumped down out of the attic and set the more stable ladder there, and held it as I lowered myself onto it, testing my feet. Soon, I was on the ground and pushing my way past Sable's broken doorway (the door had been ripped from its hinges, taking part of the frame with it); but inside, our ineffective barricade had been put back in its usual place, and things had been cleaned up. The window was closed, locked, and at the moment the blinds had been closed.

Sable was lying on the bottom bunk, the usual blankets piled around her sides to keep her arms and legs straight, instead of allowing her to curl up like she usually did. Her hair had been pulled into a ponytail at the top of her head, so that it was out off the way and not under her as she slept. A light blanket was thrown across her body; it was really only a loosely knitted thing, more holes than actual 'thread'.

It offered a horrible view of her wounds.

Her clothes had been practically shredded, and the patches revealed numerous deep scrapes and cuts, and horrific, ugly bruises of the varying colors of the rainbow covered every inch of her skin, right up to her neck. Her face was mostly untouched, except for a single cut on her left cheek. Everything had been cleaned up, and Gabriel, who was sitting by her shoulder, was beginning to put bandages on.

I sank down beside Gabe and stared. My little sister, always safe…

Crap. "When do you think she'll come around?" I wasn't speaking to anyone in particular, mainly myself, but I still wanted to be answered.

Gabe placed his hand on my shoulder, just like Dad had. "She'll be OK, Trinity. And she won't be alone. There's always somebody around."

"When?"

"You're persistent." He sighed. "We don't know how long it'll take to flush out of her system. From what we can tell, probably tomorrow afternoon."

I nodded slowly. "Who all has been in here? Everyone? Luce?"

Gabriel was quiet. "We don't know what happened to Luce," he said eventually.

I frowned. "Didn't he leave beforehand? Wouldn't he have come back by now? I thought he could talk his way out of almost anything in ITEX, being Zach's...friend, for lack of a better word."

Gabriel looked away. "We were watching from the attic, out the air vent. Zachary tranquilized Luce, and they drove away after Emma was done. Until Angel's awake, we can't know…"

I clenched my hands into fists and was silent for a long while, running over the events in my head and cursing Emma with every fiber of my being. "We have to get him back. And soon."

"As soon as we know if he's still alive—"

"He is!" I insisted. "We would know if he was dead. They'd flaunt it in our faces."

"Unless they wanted us to think he was alive. A trap."

"We can't know until Angel's up," I shot his own words back at him. "We can't be sure."

He looked away, allowing that but not agreeing. He shook his head slowly. "Trin, I'll finish with the bandages here...go deal with your floock, they need you."

I turned my eyes to Sable, and brushed a loose lock of hair away from her face. "She is my flock," I told no one—no one but her.

I left without further argument.

I found myself in the living room, among way too many treats than even we bird kids could handle. Cookies and cakes and brownies… And the absence of KIX and Beth led me to believe even more would be available shortly. I sank onto the couch and looked around me. Fang and Ana had followed me and were sitting on either side; and Kate, Dom, Nudge, and Jason were lounging around. I had the impression this same scene had almost happened before--only when I was the one most injured, along with Omega and Fang. Jason caught my gaze and gave me an awkward smile that quickly faded. Dom and Kate didn't even look at me.

Nudge jumped when she realized I was there. "Holy cow Trinity! How long have you been there? Are you OK? How are the others? Are they coming around yet? Are they OK? Have you seen Sable? When--"

"Nudge." Fang gave her a stern look and she quieted, but kept looking at me with those eyes. I shut my own and took a deep breath before answering, and as I spoke could feel the others listening.

"Yes, Nudge, I've seen Sable. The others are OK, and only Iggy's coming around so far, the tranquilizers really knocked out Gazzy and Angel, and…you know how Sable's doing… I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me."

"Of _course_ we need to worry about you!" she protested, and put her hands on her hips in a very Max-like fashion. "Don't you guys agree?" she asked the others.

"You're the only one down here that we can worry about, really," Kate agreed. Ana put an arm around my neck, trapping me on the sofa.

Fang smirked. "They're right."

"Of course…" I glowered, and then lit up as KIX came in carrying some more brownies. "Brownies!" I exclaimed, trying to draw everyone's attention away from me.

It didn't work. Maybe it had something to do with having been immunized from having so many brownies and cakes around them already…

KIX grinned and shook his head as he set the platter down. "Sorry, Trin," he said. "Not gonna work."

"Thanks," I grumbled, and reached for a brownie. Fang intercepted me and pushed me back in my seat.

"He's fighting to stay awake," he said slyly. "Trying to stay conscious, not to barf—dizzy, too."

"You can't tell all that!" I snapped. "And it's not true! I just want a brownie!"

"Maybe we shouldn't let you," Ana teased. "Maybe Fang's telling the truth."

I glared at her. "I want to see my lawyer." Everyone laughed, and Fang leaned against my shoulder, not obviously, but enough that there was a firm pressure of his die against mine. His consciousness spread out to touch mine, and I blinked. "Oh." I didn't look at him, but responded in kind.

He sent an affirmative, and then stood and left without a word. Ana shot me a look, but I shook my head. "Angel," I told her, and her face cleared. She nodded.

* * *

**3****rd**** POV**

Fang sat down next to Angel, after having told Iggy that there were brownies and things downstairs; Max had left with Iggy to make sure he made it down the hall safely, giving Fang a few moments of silence to be had with Angel. Angelus was at the other side of the attic, giving him some privacy.

Fang carefully took Angel's hand. It was warm; and so small compared to his. Her fragile little fingers, like thin twigs, were limp. _Angel,_ he projected as loudly as she could. _If you can hear me, squeeze my hand._

For a few moments, there was silence, and the only movement was that of her lungs. The seconds ticked away, and Fang was just about to let go of her hand when he felt a twitch. The twitch turned into a long, soft squeeze—but a squeeze it was. He let loose one of his rare full-blown smiles, and sat back on his haunches.

_You awake enough to respond?_

_Fang? _Her voice, sleepy, slurring, and muted as if from a distance, floated through his mind and spread through him with a tangible feeling that reminded him of dye spreading through water. _Fang… I'm sorry…_

She'd gleaned, in just a few seconds, Sable's condition and Luce's capture from his immediately reached out and connected her consciousness with Luce's. As soon as she touched his mind, she very nearly recoiled. He was in physical pain, but his mental agony was much, much worse.

Her face twisted as she felt his hurting mind, but her own mind stayed firm. _Luce, it's me, Angel…_

Luce's grip on his aching ribs slackened. _You're alive?_

_We all are. Sable is going to be fine. She's just got really, really bad bruises. Because she's just plain human, and because she's not used to pain, it'll hurt her a lot. But she'll survive. We'll help her through it. And we're going to get you out of there._

_It won't work,_ Luce replied forlornly. _I can't fly. My running isn't nearly as fast as the Fallen's flying speeds._

_Oh my gosh!_ Angel flinched. _That's terrible! I can't imagine…_

_Hopefully it won't ever happen to you. And once my flight feathers even begin to grow back, they'll clip them again. If I try to escape—_

_Luce, shut up for a moment. _Angel searched, and searched for what was disturbing her…

She found it in Lucy's room; his head in her lap and tears soaking her blanket. Angel was surprised to see him crying—and the fact that he was crying over _Luce and Sable_ absolutely shocked her. Heartless, probably bipolar, evil, twisted Zachary Moore crying over something he had done, authorized, created?

It was absolutely shocking.

Lucy was stroking Zachary's hair, her face sad. She touched Angel's mind and sighed. _Hey, Angel._

_Lucy…_

_Don't worry. We'll get him out. Zachary's almost at that point; I won't let them hurt your family anymore, Angel. We'll get him out. It will take a while, and I doubt Luce will be able to visit Sable right away…but we'll keep your family safe._

_It's not just my family, Lucy,_ Angel told her friend vehemently.

_It's not just my family, it's _your _family too._

_Yeah… _Angel could feel Lucy didn't quite believe her, not yet anyway, but wanted to. So Angel left her alone with her brother and pulled back, opening her eyes to look at Fang and smile weakly.

"How's Gazzy?"

"Snoring."

She laughed. "So he's alright?"

Fang nodded.

"And showing off his namesake even in his sleep. I think that's one of the main reason's Iggy and Max headed down stairs."

She smiled and squeezed his hand as he helped her sit up. "Did you hear all that?" she asked him, unsure of whether she'd managed to bring his mind with her as she wandered.

He nodded. _When do you think Lucy's plan will work?_ he asked silently, so that no one else would hear.

_The part with Luce? Soon. Zachary? A lot longer._

_I agree._ He sighed. "Do you feel like going down yet, or do you want to wait up here for Gazzy?"

"Let's go down. Gazzy's not going to be waking up anytime soon."

Fang laughed. "Way to avoid the stink. Let's go." He helped her up and nodded at Angelus who waved.

Fang jumped down first, and then caught Angel and put her on his shoulders. She laughed happily as she had to duck to avoid the lights hanging from the ceiling. "You keep growing," she told him. "You'll be as tall as your dad soon!"

"Being tall is good." He laughed and jumped, causing her to squeal.

"Fang!"

He looked up at her and she leaned down to give him a raspberry on his forehead. "Ewww," he said in a faux wine. She laughed again. When they entered the room and Angel saw the cakes she laughed even harder.

"Beth! KIX!_ Really!"_

Max smiled at her trough a mouthful of cookie. "I'm not complaining."

Trinity was being force-fed a brownie by Ana, and Iggy had just shoved a piece of cake into his mouth in one bite. His cheeks bulged comically. _Hey, Angel!_ Dom projected, waving cheerily.

She felt her cheeks redden, but smiled back and turned her eyes to Iggy. "Are you part chipmunk, Iggs?" she asked as innocently as she could.

He shrugged, speaking with his mouth full. "Maybe."

"Manners!" Kate and Ana tossed pillows at him.

He rolled his eyes and laughed. "Whatever. You want some, Ange?"

"No thanks, I'm not hungry at the moment," she said.

"Fnick?"

"Stomach's messed." Fang shook his head, and Angel tried not to show her worry. Beta wasn't agreeing with his stomach—she could tell.

_Fang…_

_Don't worry about it Angel. _He swung her down from his shoulders and went to sit by Iggy and Max. "How's it going Cookie Monster?"

"Good. What about you, Grouch?" Max smiled and touched his face; a test of his temperature disguised as a caress.

Her test went unnoticed by him. "Pretty good. Didn't mess with bombs." He elbowed Ig.

"Hey, it wasn't my fault—"

"I don't want to hear it," Max shot back.

"Of course you don't." He handed her another cookie. "But really, you should have seen the _explosion_ that thing had..."

"I did see it," Max pointed out. "It was kind of hard not to."

"Then you know what I mean! Wasn't it aweso--OW!" Two elbows and three pillows connected with Iggy, and he grinned sheepishly, crumbs spilling down his chin. "Alright, alright, shutting up now..."

* * *

**ReviewReviewReviewReviewReview...**


	33. Chapter 30: It's Just Foreplay

_**A/N:**__ Fhdhehehbx - Screw you. ^_^_

_Sable is a little trooper. A trooper in a great deal of pain, who doesn't want to be pampered or waited upon. And really doesn't like how her room smells, or how there's a huge hole in her wall, or how Emma could come back and find her at any given moment to finish her off--at best._

**

* * *

Trin POV**

It was the next day when everyone gathered together again. Everyone, including Angelus and Gazzy, and minus Gabe, Ana, and Sable. Lunch was interesting, everyone pretty much full on sweets, and yet trying to scarf down Iggy's cooking still. Full bellies were the main reason we were all gathered around the couch again, lazing around as we usual did when we were waiting on anything. Kate was leaning against my shoulder. "I'm stuffed. How much longer do you think they'll keep cooking like this?"

I shrugged. "When they aren't worried anymore."

Kate sighed. "How have her parents taken it?" she asked.

I winced. "Not very well at all…"

We'd called Sable's parents, who had left just the day previous for a Christmas vacation down in San Diego (that Sable had decided to stay home from); when they heard about what had happened, they were not happy to say the least. A hole in their wall, and their daughter incapacitated, and they could do nothing about it. We'd calmed them, assured them that we were now safe, Sable was recovering, and everything was going to be fine. But it had been a tense conversation.

"That's understandable." Kate closed her eyes. "But she'll be OK..."

I nodded. "How about a visit?"

"You go," she said. "I'll go later."

I nodded again and ruffled her hair, then went down the hall to Sable's room. Ana was there, as was her father; they were both reading (bookworms apparently ran in the family), and Ana had a hand on Sable's hair, holding up her book with the other. I sat beside her and smiled back when she smiled at me. My hand brushed against hers as I reached for Sable's hair, brushing it out of her face again. "Any sign?"

"Not yet," Ana breathed. "Still out cold."

"Well, she _did_ sneeze once," Gabe reminded Ana. Ana nodded.

"True."

I smiled. "You two are dorks."

"But you still love me." Ana pecked my cheek and then marked her place in her book. "How are you, Grouch?"

"Grouch is Fang," I pointed out. "I'm more of a Big Bird."

"Are you sure you're not an Elmo?"

"Again, that's probably more of Fang's. I mean, he is bordering on _Emo…"_

"I heard that!" Fang shouted in the distance.

Gabe laughed. "You're so kind to your brother."

"Tough love," I grinned. "Tough love."

Ana laughed, but quickly stopped. She was looking behind me, at Sable. "Her hand twitched."

I grabbed one of Sable's hands and leaned over her. "Sable, sister, can you hear me?"

Her hand twitched again, and then tightened on mine in a death grip. Tears began welling up beneath her lashes, and then streaked down the sides of her face as the pain dawned on her.

I reached out, touching her face. "I'm sorry, so sorry." Ana grabbed my hand, the one holding Sable's. Her voice shook.

"Sabes?"

"Is everyone alright?" Sable demanded as soon as her throat was clear of tears.

_Asking about the others… Of course. _"Everyone's fine," I assured her. "Fit as fiddles."

"You're not lying to me? Everyone's really fine?"

Ana nodded. "Yes, Sable."

"Luce…?"

The truth was the best in these situations. "He got a heavy beating, and his wings were clipped—but he's fine. He's going to be rescued soon."

She hissed under her breath and her face twisted. "Soon. It has to be soon."

"I know," I told her gently. "Someone's got a plan—we won't be able to rescue him ourselves, but we can set it in motion. Just keep praying, right?"

"I'd be nodding if my neck didn't hurt," she said.

I grit my teeth. "I am going to _kill _Emma, I swear…" I shook my head.

Sable squeezed my hand again. "Don't dwell on it," she sighed. "It's just bruises. Not as bad as that one time I practically killed myself practicing my jump serve—remember?"

"Only you could think of doing a jump serve on the edge of a steep hill. I remember that; you're right, that was worse than this…"

"So there's no reason to kill anybody is there?"

"Sable--"

"Don't 'Sable' me. We'll worry about it later, alright?" She opened her eyes for the first time to glare at me, and I shuddered. "How's Fang? Angel? Iggy and Gazzy?"

"Angel, Iggy and Gazzy are perfectly fine. Fang's had an upset stomach, has the new name of Grouch and Emo Elmo, but is otherwise fine."

"And Trin is Big Bird." Ana laughed.

Sable snorted. "Who's Super Grover?"

"And Ernie and Bert?"

"Dad can be Bert," Ana teased, and Sable looked up at Gabriel.

"And Angelus is Ernie. That sounds about right," he supplied.

"KIX as Super Grover?" I mused.

Sable laughed out loud. "Oh gosh. That's perfect!"

Angel appeared in the doorway, and you could hear the others waiting just out of sight. Especially the new Super Grover. Angel smiled at us. "Can we come in?"

"Yeah," Gabe said. "But don't crowd too much."

Immediately, Beth zoomed to the bedside. "Sable! Standard question: Are you OK? How long have you been up? Do you want a brownie? Or a cookie? Or something?"

"I'm fine, about three minutes, no thanks, not hungry, actually. Maybe in about half an hour? How long have I been out? How're you and Super Grover?"

"Okay, that's good. There'll still be plenty. You've been out for forever, about a day. And Super Grover is pretending to be Super Grover…"

Sable laughed. "He run into any walls yet?"

"Not yet. Knock on wood." The girls beamed at each other. And, of course, there was a loud _thunk_. Beth rolled her eyes. "Just had to give him the idea."

KIX walked in, grinning like an idiot. "I'm OK!"

Angel leaned down from her perch on the top bunk, and grinned at us. "He didn't run into the wall, he just punched it so it _sounded_ like he did," she said. "He's not completely stupid."

KIX made a face at her. "Yeah, yeah." He smiled at Sable. "How're you doin'?"

"I need a hug from my favorite Hummer," she said, pouting, and he melted. He slipped his arms beneath her and hugged as tightly as he dared—and then he was joined by pretty much everyone in a group glomp.

Nudge came in from the hall where she'd been waiting, smiling at us. "Hey, Trin. It's stopped raining, and Dom's volunteered to show us the best places to fly--Max said we could go if you said it was OK?"

"It's fine," I said.

Sable struggled to sit up, and I slipped an arm around her back to help her. "Could someone drive me?" she begged. "I don't want to be in my room. Please, please, please?"

Gabriel smiled. "I'll drive you," he said. "Do you know where they'll be going?"

"Miles City, eventually," she said. "That's the best place for them to fly. And it'll be gorgeous."

Dom poked his head in. _"You shouldn't be getting out of bed!" _he screeched at her.

"Well _sorry!"_ Sable glared at him. "Sorry for getting cabin fever or whatever, and not wanting to be a sitting duck just waiting for someone to come back and kill me while you guys are out!"

"I'll stay with you," I told her seriously. "You shouldn't be getting out of bed."

"No offense, Trin," Sable said, "but you won't stand a chance. None of us would. You can stay in the car with me if you want to be protective older brother. Regardless of what you choose, I'm going. Someone help me up."

With a groan I scooped her up in my arms, ignoring her when she tried to protest. "I'm the protective big brother remember?"

She rolled her eyes, but settled down, her hands clasped on her knees. "Meet you guys at Mission Peak in forty minutes tops," she told the others, who were going to be flying. "If you're not there, I'll assume the worst."

"Don't worry, we'll only be an hour late." Nudge teased. "I gotta go tell the others. No more cabin fever!" She laughed, zooming out of the room.

Ana and Gabe trailed after me, and Ana grabbed three coats from the hallway; one for me, one for her, and one for Sable. Gabriel already had his on. I slipped on my shoes, Ana put Sable's under her arm, and then she went outside to go open up the car. I turned to find Dom in the kitchen. "_Keys, so I can lock up after you guys leave?"_ he asked.

"Usual place," Sable replied. "See you."

He waved, and then we were on our way out to the car. Sable got shotgun, Ana and I rode in back.

We drove in silence—for about five minutes. Sable then began directing Gabriel in the direction of our usual flight place, just outside of Miles City, California. Miles City was a tiny, tiny little town in the middle of the mountains (or hills if you'd like, but more like mountains in my mind) around City A and City B. The hills were gorgeous, and on a day like this they'd be absolutely breathtaking. The air would be crisp and fresh from the rain, and even though the sky would be rather foggy and dark, it would be perfect weather for flying and messing around, and just having a good time.

The mountains provided steep drop-aways that were just perfect for safe take offs; the slope of the 'hill' was steep enough that you could just step off the top and glide a bit, and you were still in the air and didn't have to worry about your feet dragging on the ground two seconds later—but if you tripped, you'd just roll down the slope a little bit.

I watched my flock mates fly around above us, enjoying themselves and stretching their wings. Ana leaned forward to talk to Gabe about whatever books they'd been reading.

Sable eventually quieted, her directions given, and pulled her legs up underneath her. Even though that probably hurt like Hell, she didn't make a sound as she leaned her head against the window. Her eyes, as I could see in the glare, were unfocused, and occasionally flitted across the landscape as she was drawn back to the present by one of the flocks' antics.

"How come Max and them never went public before?" she exploded without warning. "If they'd just gone public before, they'd have had _no problems at all._ But no!" I remained silent, agreeing. "I mean, really! You guys went public around here, but Mr. Mayor wanted you to keep quiet until he could make sure that the government really would listen to We the People on this. A smart move, since the government doesn't give a rat's rear end for it and they even _fund_ ITEX. But I was talking to Max before Emma came, and oh my _goodness_, that girl makes me mad, she's so thick sometimes!"

"I think everyone will agree on that," Ana said.

I nodded. "Everyone can be. Sometimes."

"The point is—her 'sometimes' of stupidity are costly. While everyone can be, almost everyone seems to learn from their mistakes. You do. Ana does. Everyone else does—Lord knows I do too, because I'm extra stupid, all the time. But Max? Has anyone ever bothered to stand up to her, and _make her understand?_ No! No one can stick to their guns through an entire argument with her. Gr."

Ana snorted. "Can you? Can you really stick to your guns? I wouldn't put it past you, but I doubt it'd get into her head, and then you'd veer off topic..."

Sable's face didn't change at all; but I knew she'd just gotten Ana to say what she'd wanted her to say. "How much do you wanna bet?" she asked.

Ana backtracked. "No way. No how. Not when you've got that face."

Sable's eyes lit up with frustration. "What face?" she demanded in a whine. "I'm always frowning, how can you tell?"

Ana shook her head. "Wrong words. Not the face, The Look. No one argues with The Look."

And Sable's expression changed from a pitiful, petty Stinker look to that of a very smug Triumphant. "And that's how I can stick to my guns," she said, and then went Innocent. "Unless she can withstand the Look?"

I shook my head. "Trust me, Sabes. No one can withstand The Look."

"Good, then I expect you to back me up in your kind, gentle, and subtle ways, Trin," she said cheekily, and then turned the radio on. And goshdarnit to heck: The song that came up was Darth Vader's theme.

"Even the radio backs you up." Gabe laughed.

Sable returned to her innocent self and just blushed and smiled bashfully; then changed the radio to something a bit less supportive. After a minute of silence in which we watched the others, Ana began to fidget. "So Sable…" She blushed. "What's your take on names?"

"I still think your original ones are the best," Sable said. "I don't have any suggestions for the others that aren't completely cheesy. Trin knows all of them."

"Michael, Gabriel, Raphael—various spellings, pronunciations and languages. You have a one track mind."

"Well, _sorry."_

Ana nodded. "So Anna Marie and Nicholas Gabriel for a girl and boy then. What if they're two boys? Or two girls?"

Sable let out an annoyed sigh, and I poked Ana in the ribs. "Strangely prophetic," I called in a sing-song voice.

"Well, how about I say I don't know the genders and take my chances to say, I'd like Luck, Claire, or Vino for a boy, and Myka, Emilia, or Skye for a girl."

"Does it _bother_ you that you want to name one of my kids after a psychopathic killer, and a Mafioso?" I asked incredulously.

"But they're an _awesome_ psycho killer—and he's a railroad conductor, too, don't forget—and that Mafioso is immortal, protective, and a sweetie. And you asked."

Ana laughed. "I think I'll stick with Anna Marie and Nicholas then, if you're so sure, little Miss Prophet."

"Nicholas Gabriel, though, remember?" Sable prodded.

"Right, right." Ana nodded. "How can I forget?"

Gabriel pouted in the mirror. "Let's just say you meant it all along and took it as a given," I said. He laughed.

Ana smiled. "Grandpa Gabriel."

"Just Grandpa would be better," he said. "Grandpa Gabriel is a bit of a mouthful for a toddler."

I shook my head. "Yeah, but you're not going to be the only grandfather. How about Grandpa Gabe and Grandpa...What would we call Dad?"

"Angelus… Pops? Poppa? Granddad? Grand_daddy?"_

"He's more of a Granddad, don't you think? They'd probably call him Granddaddy."

We nodded along. "Yeah, he's more of the touchy-feely kind of guy," Ana agreed.

"I don't do touchy-feely," Gabe said ominously. "I do ouchy-bleedy."

"LOL-Cats!" Sable high-fived Gabe.

"Ouchy-bleedy--What wonderful role models you two make."

Pretty much everyone in the car was smiling maniacally as we pulled off the highway and disappeared into the fog-ridden, winding, thin road into the hills.

Ana elbowed me. "Think about it. Double Trouble and Terrible Twos..."

I thought about it.

"Oh my gosh." I did a headdesk to the seat in front of me.

She laughed. "We are in for it."

"Kill me now."

"Oh come on," Sable said, rolling her eyes. "My sisters weren't that bad. You'll survive."

I glared at her playfully. "Were your sisters bird kids?"

"No, but they're worse than KIX," she replied smoothly.

"Yeah…" I groaned.

Ana rolled her eyes. "We'll be fine. We'll have plenty of helpers."

"Tell me about it…"

* * *

Eventually, we went off the road and soon, soon we were in our usual place. I told Gabe to park, then got out and went over to the passenger seat to help Sable get her jacket on. After that, I hoisted her into my arms and went over to the edge of the cliff.

The fog was so thick you couldn't see four feet in front of you. As it came billowing over the hills behind us and rolled over our bodies—you could feel the water against you like rain, and then the fog went spilling over the edge of the cliff into Our Canyon.

"Pretty." I sat Sable down and sat beside her, Ana on my other side and Gabe on hers.

"I wish Beth had come," Sable sighed. "She hasn't seen this before."

"If she and Jason would have come who would have kept Catlyn in line? I pity your house."

"Well, it already has a hole in the wall…" Sable laughed.

"Duct tape will fix anything." I nodded wisely.

She laughed again and leaned against my shoulder. "How much longer do they have?" she asked.

"About thirty seconds."

"...And now?"

"Don't start."

"_WOOP-DEE-DEE, look at meeeee!"_ KIX came zooming through the fog, and I could feel his long feathers bopping me over the head as he shot right above us. The others followed.

They landed, gathering around us, KIX with a goofy grin. I rolled my eyes. "Way to go Super Grover."

He laughed and ruffled Sable's hair. "Alright guys, who wants to play X-Treme Dodgeball?" he asked, pulling a ball of duct tape—that looked suspiciously heavy—from his pocket.

Kate shook her head. "No way, you always cheat."

"What if I sat out?" he asked, pouting.

"…Fine." She snatched the ball from him and turned, tossing her hair over her shoulders. "Max, you're Team Captain for your team. Trin's our Captain."

I turned to Ana. "You playing?"

She shook her head. "But you go ahead." She gave me a push.

I stood. "Who's on what team?"

"Fang!" Max called immediately.

Kate came to stand beside me after I called her name; Fang was joined by Nudge, Angel and Gazzy on their side, while I got Dom, Iggy, and Dad. Gabriel decided to play with Max's team. "Alright, alright." Dad laughed, calling our attention away from our chatter. "Everybody know the rules?"

"It's easy. Fight for the ball, hit people, if you're hit, you're grounded. You can pick up the ball if it drops and throw it back to your team-mates. No dirty tricks, and that's about it," I explained, and turned to Max. "Rock, Paper, Scissors."

Her rock crushed my scissors.

"You get the ball first, but we get a thirty second head start. Ana, Sable, keep 'em fair." With that, I signaled to my teammates, and dove off the cliff into the fog.

I could hear Ana, laughing. "One Mississippi. Two Mississippi. Three--Ow! Fine. Shutting up."

I cork-screwed to avoid getting hit with the duct tape ball, and managed to grab it with the tips of my fingers. I held it close to my chest, and then followed the stealthy line of thoughts from my brother. They never said I couldn't use the connection, so I wasn't cheating. Technically…

Soon after I located him I felt a change. Something was wrong. I dropped the ball and flew faster, trying to grab his thoughts but there was nothing there, and a split second later, before I had time to panic, there was Beta.

"FANG!" Angel screamed as something collided heavily with the car.

I landed on the edge of the cliff, and after catching myself I took off running. By the time I reached the car, Fang had fallen off of the hood and was on his hands and knees, blood trickling down his chin from a heavy nosebleed. His wings pulled around his head as I approached, and it was Fang at the forefront of his mind again, filled with shame and fear, utterly disoriented, in pain; and confused by a conflicting, unexplainable elation and happiness. I tried to feed him some resemblance of sanity, but it didn't seem to affect him, so I knelt down as close as I dared to get and reached out to touch him—as soon as my fingers brushed his feathers, Beta came surging to the surface, and my head connected solidly with a metal hub-cap.

As stars spun across my vision and a fist landed on my chest, I pieced together what had happened. Beta had fallen back just enough to trick me into thinking he'd gone dormant again.

"Tricky beast-tard," I managed, and followed with a chop to the side of Fang's neck. He went limp, and in that split second I rolled him over, tossed his arms out to the sides, and sat on his wings. There's no defence from when you're spread eagled on the ground. Beta knew this and grudgingly faded, but _I_ knew he was waiting. I knew he'd do this again, but he'd wait until I wasn't around. And next time...

Fang came back with a moan, and when I was sure it was _really _him and Beta had committed himself to waiting I got up and helped him.

Angel nearly ran into us as she stumbled from a clumsy landing, but she caught her balance and put her hands on Fang's shoulders, staring into his eyes fearfully. Then she threw her arms around his neck. "I'm so sorry," she moaned. "It didn't work…"

"What didn't work?" Max voiced my confusion.

"I tried to help Fang by setting up all his happy memories to keep him sane, but it didn't work!" It wasn't quite as satisfactory as I'd have liked, but it was good enough. I gritted my teeth.

"What can we do, Angel?"

"I don't know!" she exclaimed. "If I did, I would have told you!" She stroked Fang's hair and pulled away to look at him with her teary eyes. "And I don't know how he gets blood in his airway, and I don't know why he got the bloody nose, and I don't know what to do!"

"Angel!" Fang said sharply, and her wide eyes got even wider. _"Calm down."_

"I'm sorry!" She cried, and threw her arms around his neck and buried herself in his shoulder. He rubbed her back.

"It's ok. I'm fine now."

"Liar." She sniffed. "Beta's going to be back, and you're going to be sick until then, and after…"

"Angel, I'm fine for now, ok? We'll figure something out."

"Alright," she said dejectedly, and I sighed.

He flopped back on the ground and wiped at the blood with his sleeve. "I'll be fine. Go play dodgeball."

It was probably the worst thing you could say to her at the moment, but Angel was brave and sucked it up, nodding once before turning and jumping back into the game.

I sat beside him, ignoring his glares. "The teams wouldn't be even if now if I played. Kate can be captain."

He grunted and glared at Max. "You go play," he told her. "I'll be fine."

Max hesitated, but after giving me a pointed look took off, and the others who had been hovering around followed. I sighed. "Fang. Look…"

"I get it." He didn't look at me. "I'm not fine. I'm Beta. There's nothing that can be done about it, so don't worry about it."

I nearly throttled him. "No you _don't_ get it!" I exploded. "There's everything that can be done, and we _are_ going to do it! I'm not going to _worry_ about you, I'm going to take care of you and destroy you if you don't stop being so emo. Gosh darn it all to heck!"

He gave me a long look. "Are you going to spontaneously combust now?"

I glared at him. "No. I'm going to be an annoying, overprotective older brother, and you're going to hate me for it. Too bad."

"Woop-de-flipping-doo."

I smacked him in the back of the head. "Idiot."

He groaned and clutched his stomach, looking ready to be sick. I jumped up. "Fang!"

And then the tricky beast-tard stopped and laughed at me.

"Jerk!" I attempted to show him how scared I was, but his hysterical—yes, _hysterical_, breathless amusement was clouding his senses.

"Y-your f-face!"

"Fang, get a grip!" I was beginning to get worried as he continued laughing (and with good reason; Fang, laughing hysterically? It was practically a sign of the end times!), hardly able to catch his breath. His legs trembled, and then gave way; I barely caught him before he hit the ground.

"Fang!" I tried to reach him with our connection, but he was already unconscious. He was breathing, but it was haggard, and his temperature was much, much too high. "Guys!"

Dad landed heavily beside us. "I'll drive," he said, catching the keys that Gabriel had tossed him, and jumping into the driver's seat. Ana helped me hoist Fang into the back, and then she climbed in. I searched the sky.

Dominic came to hover a little ways away. _"I'll take them back," _he told me. _"You take Sable."_

"Watch out," I warned him, and then dove after Sable, who was struggling to stand up. I dumped her into the passenger's seat, let her fumble with her seatbelt herself as I suddenly became occupied with a very angry Max.

"You knew something was wrong! You shouldn't have let me leave!"

"There wasn't any sign! And he didn't want you there, he didn't want you to worry."

"He was hurt!"

"No, he _wasn't!"_ I snarled. "He had a _nosebleed._ There was no sign that he actually _was_ hurt! And if we keep arguing, I might never find out if he actually _is_ hurt, so get in the freaking _car!"_

She shrieked, but shoved her way around me and got in. I'd be following from the air, I didn't want to crowd Fang right now, and Max… I took off, launching myself up and away as if my life depended on it and followed that car.

* * *

There wasn't any noticeable change from the air the whole way up until Dad barely avoided Steph's mailbox and all the occupants of that house rushed out to see what was going on--Dad was such a careful driver under normal circumstances. I landed near them. "How's Fang?"

"No better," he said. "But he's still alive."

I spun around. "Where's Jeb?" I demanded. By now, I was seriously freaking out. "Dad, get Fang to the shower. _Where's JEB?"_

Jeb ran forward, his eyes on Fang, who was being carried by Dad into the house, led by a frantic Steph. "What happened?" he demanded.

"Beta happened," I snapped. "He had a nosebleed, Beta went crazy, then went dormant, then he became hysterical, and then he passed out and he's turning into grilled chicken from the inside out!"

Jeb was pale. "Trin, what happened? Beta went crazy from a nosebleed?"

I shook my head. "No, the nosebleed had nothing to do with it! It just happened! What's wrong with him?"

Jeb, always helpful, turned around and ran into the house. I followed, pretty much ready to hate him like Max did. But then again, wasting time on stupid explanations when you could be saving someone is pretty stupid in itself, so I had no reason to complain.

But then again. This was Jeb.

He'd give me every reason to in just a moment.


	34. Chapter 31: Indirectly Dodging Ball

_**A/N: **Shoutout to my classmate Alex, who NEEDS TO READ THIS. GR. She's almost as much of an _MR_ nut as me. But not quite. Which is why she needs to read this; she's more sane than me, sooo..._

_Say hi to D. :D_

* * *

**Trinity**

When I finally caught up with him, he was in the bathroom with Fang and Dad, shoving a needle into Fang's arm.

Not something you want to see when you're feeding off of said brother's feelings of sick-ness, have a phobia of needles that rivals his, and are pretty much freaked out and worried to your wit's end.

I dropped to me knees beside them and pressed a hand to Fang's forehead. The shower was helping, he was cooling down. I hissed at Jeb. "What are you _doing?"_

"Same thing as before," he sighed, taking out the needle, pressing a wash cloth against the pinprick and letting me put pressure on it.

"Why do you have to _do _the same thing as before?" I demanded.

Dad looked ready to tear Jeb's head of. "I'd like to know that as well!"

"Just trust me!"

"He's my son!" Dad's face was terrifying, but Jeb simply rolled his shoulders.

" I know. Let me help him."

"Shut up, Jeb!" I handed Fang's arm off to Dad, and jumped up, my wings hiking up behind me with my anger. "Sometimes telling us what the hell is going on is the best way to ensure that we do indeed let you help someone. Why the heck is this happening again? Is it chronic, terminal—is he going to die from it, will it get worse? I want answers!"

Now that Fang was out of immediate danger, at least, I had time to let loose. And boy, did it feel good.

And just to make sure we understood each other…

"If you don't answer, _Batchelder,_ I'll _rip your spleen out through your nose."_

Jeb managed to keep his face calm and reasonable at first, but lost his cool as he went on. "Trinity…you're right. But I can't answer your questions because I don't know. I think it's my… When I first rescued them from the school, Fang…wasn't well. What I gave him might have put Beta into dormancy, and that's what has lasted all these years, but what they did the last time you were captured--it might have interfered. That's what's causing this. I'm trying to counteract it. I don't know what the effect could be on him--will you let me try to help him now?"

_…So it's a Jeb Screwed Up Bigtime Trying to Be a Hero moment. AGAIN._

I stepped aside, but kept my eyes on the general area of his spleen. I figured that, hey, it didn't really matter if I missed and had to have a second try... "Can you keep talking while you work?" I asked, fighting to keep my voice from revealing how royally pissed I was.

"Yes." He got the needle again and began rolling up Fang's sleeve more. I flinched when he jabbed Fang's arm in what seemed to me a unsympathetic fashion. "Ask away."

"How come Alpha's not like this? How come I'm not the sick one?"

"Because you've always been Alpha, taking the name Trinity, like Omega took the name Jason. Fang has always been Fang, never Beta, as Beta was dormant all these years. "

"…But—"

"Alpha is _you._ Kind, loving, affectionate, protective—that is _you._ The insane part of you, the killing instinct, was locked away by your developed conscience. In the Natural Selection match it was only that part of you, which, because of being raised with morals and as a generally good person in a society that frowns upon manic killing sprees, you'd locked away; the drug they gave you merely caused a temporary fit of insanity and rage. It didn't actually unlock another entity, Alpha, that had been sleeping inside of you; how could it, if you _were, _and always _will be_, Alpha?

"But with Fang… He never was Beta. Beta became, essentially, a separate identity that was locked away and unknown even to Fang himself. _But it was always there,_ underneath. While Fang Ride grew up to have a conscience, Beta never got that moral formation. The injection Fang received to begin the Natural Selection unlocked Beta—"

"In plain and short form, Fang has two people in his head: Him, and the psychopathic, insane, bloodthirsty Beta?"

Jeb nodded, and switched to another needle. **Again.**

_Stop it with the needles!_ I wanted to scream. I swallowed hard. "And you _let Max date him?"_

"Fang? Yes. Beta? I didn't think this would happen."

I looked at Dad, wondering if I should make him leave because he was being too quiet and not enough of a dad, or if he was going to do something; to my surprise, he looked just about as murderous as I felt. As Jeb went for _yet another friggin' needle,_ Dad proved himself to be the Ultimate Coolio: He punched Jeb. Square in the schnoz.

I will freely admit that seeing Jeb with a broken and bloody nose gave me great satisfaction at this point in time. Especially as Jeb dropped the needle and it shattered on the floor.

Dad turned to Fang, and brushed his younger son's heavy black bangs away from his face. As it says on the geek-shirt—_and then a miracle occurred._

Fang's face twitched, and then his eyes opened. An overwhelming surge of emotion poured past the floodgates and into my mind, giving me a clear, _WTF?_ feeling from him.

I turned to Jeb, and grabbed the arm that wasn't holding his face. "We are going to have a little _chat_," I said, and thoroughly enjoyed the terrified look on his face reflected in the mirror. I dragged him out and sat him down in front of the Murderous Max and the Scary Sable.

"What is going on?" Max took one look at Jeb's face and practically turned into a banshee. "What have you _DONE_, Jeb?"

I took that as my cue.

"When Jeb rescued your flock, he found that Fang wasn't 'well'. He gave him a drug that has effectively kept Beta as a separate consciousness inside Fang's mind, that lay dormant, was never exposed to the real world, and never learned what a conscience is. At the Natural Selection match, when they gave us the drugs to unleash our 'attack and destroy' instincts, not only did it unlock the _must kill_ side, but it unlocked the _entire freaking Beta_ side of Fang. And that drug, even though it wore off, began mutating and it probably melded itself with whatever _Batchelder_ here gave Fang in the beginning. And that's why Fang keeps feeling sick, and that's why Beta is a murderous psychopath."

Max let out an earsplitting shriek (you know, she should just do _that_ to her enemies. _KABOOM_ go their eardrums, quickly followed by everything else as they're incapacitated) and I had to physically hold her back. But I only had one pair of arms, and there were two angry females in the room…

Luckily for Jeb, unfortunately, Sable wasn't in the shape for much movement. But she could yell as much as anyone, and she had her Look. "You IDIOT!" Jeb recoiled and try to splutter out a defence from behind his broken nose, but Sable wasn't having it. "You shut up while I'm talking!

"You couldn't possibly tell us about this before? What is your problem! We could have been helping him! And you…you beast-ard! How could you do this in the first place? You had to have known what you were doing!"

"I didn't—"

"Do you _really_ expect me to believe that you just called yourself stupid? That you'd _let yourself do something potentially harmful to someone, _to a _child,_ and _not know what the Hell _you were even DOING?"

"I may have been getting them out of there but that's not saying I was out myself!" His words were garbled because of his nose. "That's all I knew! I knew it was wrong, but I thought it was worth the risk. I didn't know to really care!"

Sable's Look went from _The Glare of Pissed-dom_ to _You are Stupid. Die._

And I think at that moment Jeb almost wanted to.

"And yet you _still_ try to help them. You meddle with things that you've only thought through half-way. I appreciate you trying to atone for past sins, but after the third failure, you'd think you'd learn from your mistakes and avoid repeating them. Now tell me this: Do you really think that giving Fang dose upon dose of drugs for the rest of his life will really help him keep Beta down? Do you really think that it's better to waste your time here, canoodling with Doctor Martinez instead of researching your butt off, _and don't deny it_--than to save the LIFE of Fang? Who is your _daughter's_love interest? You're messed up, and you're screwing everyone else's lives up as well!" Sable put her hands on her hips.

Jeb about melted into the floor. "I'm sorry. I just…I'm sorry." There really is no arguing with Sable.

I debated about let Max go after him but thought better of it- - Steph probably wouldn't appreciate the mess. I shook my head. "Go Jeb. Just stay the hell away from my brother."

Sable held up a hand. "Just one more thing." Jeb looked ready to burst into tears. I pitied him greatly. But not as much as I disliked him at the moment. Sable regarded Jeb coolly. "You need to redeem yourself. You may not be a hero. You may not be a villain either, and you may want to help, want to be a father. But until you come to terms with what exactly you are, you can't be anything more than a nuisance."

She looked away. "You may leave now."

He bolted out of the room like someone had lit his pants on fire. I let Max go as soon as he was out of sight and laughed dryly. "Way to go, Queen Sable."

She smiled innocently at us. "You're next, Max."

"Sable, _now?_" I asked.

"Oh, not now," she replied. "But she's next."

I patted Max's shoulder. "I pity you. Have strength."

Max was obviously torn between freaking out, running while she still had the chance, and going after Jeb with murderous intent. "I'd advise murderous intent," I said, "but I think Jeb has a chance at redemption, so maybe not murderous..."

"Then murderous intent isn't advisable." She sank onto the couch. "Crap..."

"You can always kill him later."

Max stared at us.

"What? "

"You're insane."

"Don't deny it," Sable replied shortly.

"Never do." I laughed.

* * *

**Back With Catlyn, Jason and Beth...3rd POV**

"Where are they?" Beth moaned. Catlyn was just about driving her nuts.

"I know as much as you do." Jason watched as Catlyn tried to lierally bounce off the walls again, failed, and bounced up to try again. "She's going to add another hole in the wall if they don't get back soon."

"I wish you would let me fix the wall with duct tape!" Catlyn moaned as she tried a third time.

"Let her try, Jason," Beth whined. "She's going to drive me even crazier than I already am!"

"I think that'd be impossible," Jason replied, and then shook his head. "I doubt Sable'd appreciate the duct tape. And besides, it'll just make it worse when it comes time to fix the wall for real."

"Party pooper!"Catlyn tried to bounce off the wall again.

"Yes, I am," he shot back.

"Maybe we could stick her to the wall..."

"OOOH! That sounds so cool!" Catlyn squee'd.

Beth grinned at Jason. "Pleeeeeeeeaaase ? " He thought about it...and shook his head. Both girls moaned.

"Why do we have to listen to you?" Catlyn asked suddenly. "Who put you in charge?"

"He's oldest." Beth shrugged. "Oldest is always in charge."

The girls sighed. Jason fidgeted. "Shouldn't the others have been back by now? "

"Probably..."

"What are we going to do about it? "

"…Wait?"

"...I'm calling." Beth took the phone from it's holster and dialled Trinity's number.

She stopped and ended the call before she was even done dialling. "Never mind. They won't answer."

Catlyn made a face. "How do you know? "

"How'd you duct tape a gorilla suit to the ceiling upside down at Gabe's? "

"…Point taken…"

Jason groaned and flopped back on the sofa. "What about if we call--"

At that moment, the door was flung open and a drenched Dominic trooped in, followed by everyone else, who were all just as wet. _"I__t just had to start raining on us, didn't it?"_ he snarked.

The wingless kids blinked. "Woah...so wet." Catlyn immediately ran off and came back with a bunch of towels. "What happened?"

"Where're Trin and them?" Beth asked.

"Beta woke up again," Kate said. "So Trin, Max, Sable, and Angelus left for--I presume, Jeb."

Beth's face twisted. "Uh- oh."

Catlyn tripped and dropped half her towels, and Jason helped her pick them back up, handing one to Kate and letting Catlyn distribute the rest. Jason worried. "Is everyone alright? "

"We don't know," Gabriel took over. "They probably only just reached Steph's house about ten minutes ago. Then they have to deal with Fang, so I don't expect a call from them for at least ten more minutes. Probably more."

"Ok..." Beth frowned. "I'd say 'While we're waiting, how about some brownies?' but we're out of ingredients..."

The sigh of relief was quite loud. She made a face. "If you didn't want them you didn't have to eat them."

"But then they'd have all just sat around and gone to waste," Iggy pointed out.

"...There is such a thing as a bake sale, Iggy."

"You mean we could have gotten money out of this?" Gazzy demanded. "Why didn't we, Iggs?"

"Uh...I have a sweet tooth? "

"But--"

"Next time, Gazz. Next time."

Beth pouted. "I cook when I'm stressed. Stress makes you old. You're gonna turn me into an old lady."

"But a very pretty one at that," KIX said, appearing beside her and putting an arm around her shoulders.

She turned pink and tried to splutter out a response but failed. The others laughed.

"Hummer and Beth, sittin' in a tree, K- I- S- S- - "

"Catlyn!"

Catlyn squealed and ran out of the way, but KIX pulled Beth's arm and sat down in the rocking chair, pulling her onto his lap. "Someday, we'll find a nice tree, won't we, Beth?" he asked teasingly.

"Yeah, and knowing you we'll fall out of it," she replied.

He laughed. "And who's fault will that be? "

"Yours. For not choosing a better tree."

_"Why don't you two just get a room and make out already?"_ Dom asked amusedly.

"Dom!" Beth turned a very deep red. "Why are you guys so mean? "

"Mean?" Angel asked, laughing. "It's what you want, though, right?"

"Th- that's still not nice! Or polite. At all." And just when you thought she couldn't get any redder...

KIX tugged her closer, and she squeaked. He pressed his forehead to hers and looked deep into her eyes, pouting puppily. "Really, Beth?" he murmured. _"Really?"_

"Not when they, um...say it. No." She bit her lip. "Oh goodness."

Catlyn groaned. "Just kiss her already and get it over with!"

KIX swiftly captured Beth's lips before she could protest, and then pulled away, still pouting. "No!" Beth said firmly. "Not on display."

He still pouted, pulling her closer and resting his chin on her head. "Alright, I get it. I'm sorry, but I hardly ever get to kiss you…"

Beth kept her eyes firmly shut to avoid the perfect pout. "You can wait. No PDA."

_"PDA?" _Dom scoffed. _"KIX doesn't even know how to PDA."_

"He does too." Beth nodded firmly. "He just kissed me in public, that's PDA. PDA is any public display of affection, even holding hands, but I'm ok with that."

_"That doesn't count as PDA here,"_ Dom replied, and raised his eyebrows. _"He doesn't know."_

Beth frowned. "I don't follow you. What?"

Dom facepalmed.

"What he's trying to say," Gabe said, "is that KIX doesn't know how to make out. He just knows how to kiss long and cute. But nothing more."

KIX nodded quickly. "Yeah, yeah, what he said! Nothing like what Trin and Max did. Nuh-uh, I don't know."

"That would be PDA," Kate clarified.

"Ooh." Beth nodded. "I get it. But that's not PDA, that's beyond PDA. That's Purpling." She looked at KIX. "It's good you don't know. I don't either, and we're not gonna go there."

"Technicalities..." Everyone rolled their eyes, but KIX didn't seem to have a problem.

Catlyn frowned. "Not even when you're married? "

"CATLYN!"

And then the phone rang.

Catlyn tossed her arms high above her head like she'd just scored a touchdown. "Saved by the phone!"

Gabriel picked up. ".....Ah." He was immediately bombarded with questions.

"What's going on? "

"Is Fang alright? "

"When are they getting back? "

He explained in calm tones, trying to be cool under the frenzied gazes that were trained on him, like starving hyenas presented with what might potentially be a scrap of meat, if it wasn't another hallucination:

"Hold on." He covered the phone with his hand and addressed the kids. "Fang's not quite alright, but they aren't trusting Jeb so they're going to bring him back as soon as they can, and when they get back depends on him. I don't know what's up with Jeb. Wait." He went back to talking but the kids quickly lost interest, as it seemed he was only calming down whoever was talking. "It's fine Ana. If they wanted you to wait in the car then I'm sure--no, everything's probably fine. Ana, hush..."

Everyone waited on the edges of their seats. Boredly. Someone flipped on the TV, even though it was on mute, and began channel surfing.

"X- men!"

"Nerd."

"Shut up- - Doctor Who!"

"Still a nerd."

"No, geek. There's a difference."

"Twilight?"

"Now? Are you sane? Don't answer that. But no! Bad timing for it. Ooooh, Dirty Jobs!"

"...Doctor Who is better--fine. Dirty Jobs..."

Gabriel finally hung up and sighed. "Who wants pizza for dinner?"

An army of hands attacked the air. "We do!"

**

* * *

Fang**

When I finally regained my senses, the first thing I noticed was that Dad was holding me; I could smell him clearly. But I couldn't see anything.

I blinked once, twice, fourteen times--until my eyes had cleared of whatever gunk had been in them. Then, I sort of wished I hadn't, because there was a steady stream of cold water that was being spewed directly into my face.

"Fang? " Dad lifted me forward, into a sitting position rather than my earlier slump, and in doing so moved me so that the water was no longer in my face. "Fang, can you hear me? "

I nodded. "What happened?" Because all I could remember was feeling a sudden surge of heat, something in my chest hurting like Hell--and then nothing. "I mean, Beta...but did I do anything?"

"No, _you_ didn't."

I grimaced.

"Beta--"

"Jeb."

"Needles?"

"Yeah." I shuddered. He rubbed my back soothingly. "You're fine. He won't use them again. I won't allow it."

"How come your hand's all bloody?" I asked.

"Jeb's nose."

"Been wanting to do that for years." I grinned at him. "Did you break it?"

"Yup."

"And did Trin--Oh man, Trin!"

"He's fine. Worried about you." He patted me on the shoulder. "We're not wanting to stay here long, are you up for being moved? "

I nodded, and he slid his arm under my soaking T-shirted back, and then he stood. I took a first staggering step, and then we were out of the shower (that we left running), and dripping our way towards the door. Once opened, I was met with a blast of air that chilled me even more than the cold shower had. I could swear that my lips were blue, and my teeth were literally chattering by the time we'd gotten to the car.

Ana was there, looking to be at her wits' end; she threw open the door and pulled me in, holding me close to her and bursting into hormone-induced tears. I tried to pat her on the arm, but that just sent more cold water flying and made me realize that that arm felt like it had been punched numerously; with needles. Cue mental freak-outage that summoned Trinity at a high-speed, demanding to know what was wrong.

"Needless." I tried to wave him off. "I'm fine."

He gave me a look that clearly said, _You better be._ "Sable pretty much PWNed Jeb," he told me. "You better be fine, or else she'll kill you."

I laughed. "Yeah. If she uses The Look, I'm a goner."

"Like I'll be," Max said mournfully as she came out behind Trin, and then flopped into the seat beside me, dumping some warm, fluffy towels onto my lap. "She told me that I'm next."

I let her lean against me, even though I was so damp she'd probably catch a cold, not that she'd care. "At least we'll have matching gravestones. 'Killed by Looks.'"

She shook her hid, smiling slightly, and with one hand began to help me towell off. Because I totally couldn't do that with one arm... Sarcasm, of course--but then again she _was _feeling me up...

Trin cleared his throat, getting me attention as he spoke to Dad. "He's good to go, if his thoughts are anything to go by." _I don't need your lust, _he said via a repulsed-feeling barb.

I gave him a, _You know you'd feel the same if it were you and your girl in this position kind of look and feeling, _but he shook his head. "I'm the virtuous one of us," he replied. _"And_ the handsome one."

"But most of all, humble, right?" I teased.

"Of course." He sat down and sighed. "We should call them before we leave..."

"And you should get Sable as well," Dad said.

Trinity nodded and turned to Ana, who was looking studiously out the window. "Could you call them and tell them we'll be home in about an hour?"

Ana nodded, getting the phone out of her pocket. "Yes. Go get Sable already."

Once I wasn't so cold (Dad got the car's heater going, I'd been towelled off, and the extra, soft, fuzzy towels turned tout to be great blankets), I actually felt better than I had in a while. My stomach was fine, my throat seemed clearer, my head didn't hurt--I was just sleepy. So, when Sable was set down next to Max and I and asked if I was alright, I grinned and said, "Best I've felt in years," with conviction.

Max immediately put her hand on my forehead to check my temperature. "Are you OK?" I shrugged, and then a smile spread across my face as she rolled her eyes. "Yes, he's OK."

I tossed one of the towels over her head. "I better be, I _feel _like it."

Sable smiled at me slightly and then sank back into her chair, leaning it back until she could lie down and curl up with her back to us. I frowned, a vague feeling of concern settling into my mind, coming from Trin. I shot a question at him, but he shook his head. "Later," he murmured, and then went back to talking to Mason, who had Lily on his hip, and was asking about how the others were.

"They're fine, or they should be. Unless somehow Gasman and Iggy's bombs and Catlyn's duct tape joined forces..."

Sable snorted. "God forbid," she said scathingly. Trinity mentally winced. Mason raised his eyebrows, and then practically dumped Lily onto Sable's side. Sable blinked, and then took Lily into her arms, fondling the giggling, gurgling little girl. "Hey there," she cooed, and Trinity let out a sigh of relief before continuing on with a description of yesterday's attack. Mason's eyes were round, staring at Sable's completely covered body as if searching for the bruises. She ignored him pointedly.

I leaned against Max with my hand entwined with hers and just let everyone's voices wash over me. It was nice. Calm. I breathed, just loud enough for her to hear, "I love you." I felt her jump, and the heat of her blush. I just kept smiling.

She leaned back tentatively, wrapping another towel around me. "You do feel good, don't you? Why?" I shrugged.

"Dunno."

"Angel," Sable coughed.

"Huh?"

"Angel said she put a wall of happy memories up to keep you sane," Max explained. "Remember?"

I frowned. "I don't."

She was worried, I could tell, but she went on like it wasn't anything. "Oh. Well, she did. Maybe you're still going off that?"

I shrugged nonchalantly. "I dunno. I feel physically good, too."

"Angel's a miracle worker," Max sighed. "That's the only explanation."

Or maybe it was because Beta had finally gotten to stretch his legs so to speak, but to each their own. I shrugged, my face still the same. "Maybe."

Trinity began laughing even before my stomach erupted. "Desert rat?" he chortled. "Even now, you still think of that first thing?"

"You have to admit, it tastes great."

Trin made a face. "I tried it, after everyone got all crazy about you doin' it. It's stringy and bitter. Ugh."

I laughed. "To each his own."

Everyone rolled their eyes, said their goodbyes, and buckled their seatbelts. Sable kissed Lily's nose and handed her off--then the door slammed closed and we were off. I fell asleep, maybe it was the warmth or the fuzzy towels or the happy memories. It was most likely because I was so wore out, but I'd prefer to think of the former. I woke only when the car stopped.

Max helped me up, and I was thankful for the arm that was hooked through mine as we walked into the quiet house. It was quiet and peaceful...until we went into the living room. We were pretty much glomped to death by everyone--except Catlyn. Who had somehow managed to wind up duct taped to the wall...

She beamed at us, though. "We saved some pizza for you!" she called.

My stomach rumbled. "Sounds good."

So we sat down and had a very eventful, but typical dinner, after which I found myself lying on the "Magic Sofa" (supposedly no one who lay on it for more than five minutes could keep from falling asleep), surrounded by pretty much everyone who hadn't been in the car with me, all of whom were demanding, "WELL?"

I attempted to fake sleep. It didn't work. They stole my pillow and hit me with it. I scowled at them. "I'm fine now. Ask Trinity, he's the talkative one."

Someone said, "Good point," and they rounded on Trinity (and Max was pinned against his side). Angel helped Sable down into the rocking chair, pushed it over beside me, and then she sat down heavily on my stomach.

"Thanks, Ange," I told her.

"For what?" she replied with surprising bitterness. "It'll happen again."

"But I feel good, that's something." I tugged at her ponytail. "It's a start, and you did fine. Thank you."

She groaned. "You don't get it," she insisted. "Sable, tell him!"

"We're concerned about the blood getting into your airway," Sable said quietly. "That's the only way you can throw up blood, I think. There are one hundred and nineteen causes that I found on wrongdiagnoses-dot-com, and really, the only way you could have 'bright red blood' in it is if it's in your airway. And since you seem fine now--you haven't been coughing and hacking, right?" I shook my head. "Good. Since you seem fine now, I think it has a whole lot to do with Beta. But just what it is, is the question. And it isn't good. Just giving you preventative drugs won't work. Beta will grow immune to them, the drugs will mutate and will probably cause you needless harm. I spoke to Doctor Tamlin, and he won't be able to help you from 'the inside', so to speak. Jeb is...not to be trusted with things that are beyond his capability, at the moment, and Spencer has been searching and searching ever since Dominic emailed him earlier this afternoon, but he hasn't found anything."

"So, what do you suggest?" I asked. They weren't going to let me insist that I was fine, were they?

"I have two ideas for what's actually wrong with you..."

* * *

**Thanky you, for always reviewing. Others should aspire to be more like you. *hands over some virtual cookies*  
**


	35. Chapter 32: That Time of Year

**The Important A/N That Was in the PlaceHolder: **_You should probably read this, because it's not the exact same as the one that was in the PlaceHolder._

Things have been pretty busy on my end (I'm in daycare for most of the day after school, doing homework; then I have karate, and I've been making sure to get to bed early because of algebra. You know, the normal stuff I've said once or twice), and I'm sure it's busy on D's end as well.

Not sure about D, but I have had just a tiny case of lack-of-motivation sickness. Few reviews, few hits, few voters on the poll... Please review. And we really do need you to vote on the poll—_or you can review with your answers._ No excuse for not voting in some fashion unless you're really lazy or don't like us. I know some of you have, but I'd like more. And I know we've got more readers than just the two that review—I've seen the separate hits. It feels like I'm whining about it; we _have_ got 44 reviews, after all, and as long as that count stays higher than the amount of chapters we have up, that's a good number. But I would like more. Especially on the more recent chapters—I need your opinions and feedback! What do you guys want?

I've gotten so many anonymous complaints (which I've deleted on the most part...) about the story, but no suggestions or anything constructive that will help me make this better. Most of it's just "This sucks" or "this is just like wings of wrath, 'cept liberalized and toned down", both of which leave me wondering--which parts? What should I change? What do you want to see more of? (And also, how do you know I'm not going to add some huge plot twist, huh, huh?) I would really like something better than "OMG THIS IS SO AWESOME." (...Yes, Em, I'm lookin' at you. Heheh.) Just **what** do you think is awesome? What absolutely sucks eggs?

_My mind wants to know._

I've been working on chapter summaries for this story so I can keep up and hopefully thicken the plot a bit. At the moment, I feel comfortable in telling you that there are going to be three parts to _Wing It,_ that we're still in part one for a bit, and that this story isn't going to be so happy later on. I can also promise you that this won't be a _Wings of Wrath. _However, (and here, I apologize to Vanessa,) there will be one major Canon character death (we're debating a second one **[and possibly a third, but non-canon death]**, but at the moment their life is hanging in the balance). I'll leave it to you to guess who it is, but I won't tell you if you're right or wrong.

I'm saying all of this assuming that _Wing It_ is actually liked more than I think it is. Feel free to shoot me out of the sky, 'cause you know what they say about 'assume'.

I think that's about it... Questions, comments, glowing reviews, flames, critique, pointers, and suggestions are all welcome.

_Stay Safe, Keep Praying,_

--Rae (and D, I'm sure)

* * *

**Chapter 32: It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year**

**Trinity**

"Hey! Hey guys! HEY!" Catlyn was nodding like crazy, trying to get our attention. No one seemed to have any intent of getting her off the wall. Not to say that we weren't going to pay attention to her.

"What's up, Catlyn? Other than you?" I snorted.

"Weren't you paying attention to the TV? The commercial!" She squirmed. "It's almost Christmas already!"

"What the--holy craa-routons! Croutons, that's it. Holy cow!" I ran a hand through my hair. "What's today's date?'

"The nineteenth," Sable said dryly. "I thought you might remember because of the freaking huge tree that's blocking the desktop computer, but I guess my faith in your perception is misplaced..."

Gassy blinked. "So that's what the duct tape mummy thing was? "

Sable stared at him. "What the--no! Can we--ugh!" Angel helped her stand up, and then Sable waved her arms in the air, drawing everyone's attention. "Ahem. Today is the nineteenth. Christmas is coming! The clue should be NOT the duct taped mummy girl. She has nothing to do with it being almost Christmas, except for the fact that she just brought it up. Thank you, Catlyn. No. The real clue is this HUGE HONKING TREE with the blinking lights, the gold and silver tinsel, and the delicate baubles that I am now missing two of, thanks to KIX."

He shrugged. "Sorry. I said I'd replace them...Eventually."

Sable raised her eyebrows. "Right. Anyway. Just letting you know. You can start freaking out about presents now."

Nudge's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "Shopping!"

* * *

**3rd POV**

"OK, girls are coming shopping with me, guys are going with the adults. Angelus, Gabriel, you guys got your Dad-hats on?"

Angelus and Gabriel nodded firmly. "Meanest Dads in the World, reporting for duty," Gabriel snarked.

Sable high-fived him. "Love you. Alright, Ana, let's go."

Ana grinned at Sable. "Time to get ready to have the best Christmas in the world, right?"

She beamed in reply. "Of course!" Hooking her arm in Angel's--the two were almost the same height, with Sable only a few inches taller, at 5' 2"--, Sable led the way into the mall.

Nudge immediately grabbed Ana's hand and began dragging her towards the nearest store. "Come on, come on, come on! It says there's a sale--it ends in an hoooooooooour!"

Angel laughed and pulled Sable after them. As Angel and Sable passed a florist's booth, a hand shot out and a giant rose was pushed into Angel's face. She inhaled sharply, and its gentle, fresh perfume went right up her nose. She grabbed the rose before it could fall, and stared at it in awe.. It was an ugly thing; huge, with mottled petals that had little brown creases. It had been brutally de-thorned, and its stem was bent and browning.

But it was gorgeous.

Angel looked up to meet the vividly gray, almost white irises of a black haired boy. Immediately, information flooded her mind; he was just barely eleven and three quarters, and that three quarters meant a lot to him. He went to a public school close to Sable's house, but his dad worked as a florist, so after school he was brought up to either the main shop or to the booth here.

Like today. When he'd had the luck to see the angel walk past, gold curls pinned up loosely around her face like a halo radiating around her, bouncing and shimmering and moving like sunlight through the leaves of a tree, a breath of summer in the midst of a very tight winter for his family...

He thought he was in love.

Innocently, she let go of Sable's hand and turned to face him, the rose pressed up under her chin to protect herself. "My name is Angel," she said shyly. "Angel Ride."

He was burning crimson, his ears and neck turning red too, but he nodded quickly, eyes wide. "The Maximum Ride girl," he replied. "You're prettier in real life than online."

She found herself blushing for once. "What's your name? Do you have a phone?"

"I'm Damien Alexander Brooke," he said. "I can't have a phone till I'm fourteen. But I got an email!"

"Really!" She was suddenly breathless. Maybe they could keep in touch!

"Angel!" Nudge was standing a ways away, holding up a blue camo shirt eagerly. Angel knew she wanted her opinion--was it right for Gazzy? Angel sighed.

"It's really easy to remember," Damien hurried to say, sensing that she was going to be pulled away, and he told her the email.

"I'll email you as soon as I get the computer!" Angel promised, and as Nudge called her again, she jumped up and pecked him on the lips.

And then she ran for her life.

Catlyn grinned at her from behind Nudge. She kept her mouth shut for once, but not her thoughts. _Way to go Angel! He's cute!_

Sable was giggling with Ana. _Very cute,_ both of them shot at her.

_Let's not talk about it!_ Angel shouted into their minds frantically, trying to hide her blush behind the rose. They smiled and agreed, but Sable and Ana exchanged looks.

Luckily, she was saved by Nudge's impatient nature. "Angel! What do you think of this for Gazzy? Yes or no?"

Angel shrugged. "I like it, but maybe not first thing. How about we check out some other stuff first?"

"Alright!" Nudge looked really hard at the shirt, committing it to memory. "NEXT STORE!"

Catlyn nodded. "Yeah! Wait!" She looked around. "Where's Beth?"

"Book store..."

"And Sable would be there too, if she wasn't in charge, and if I wasn't holding onto her arm," Ana shot in, and Sable grumbled something like, _If things were going to get sappy while you were PMS'ing, wouldn't you run away?_

Nudge groaned. "Fine. I'll go with Catlyn to drag Beth back, you and Angel keep Sable here and keep shopping? Ok? Ok!"

She and Catlyn ran off. Ana and Angel each took one of Sable's arms, and then dragged her in the opposite direction of Borders. "Time to find presents for Trinity and Fang!" Angel cheered.

"OH! Big Bird Pajamas! YESH!" Ana burst out laughing. "Look!"

Sable and Angel laughed as well. "It's in our budget... You should get him the pants, at least."

"They would be very cute on him... Yellow is one of his colors..." Ana tapped her chin. "A joke present... And I'll address it from Fang."

"That rocks," Sabe said wisely.

"Totally." Ana began looking through the rack. "Now only if they had Elmo too..."

Angel giggled, and Sable smiled. "What should I get Trin? Last year I got him your guy's iPod..."

"Which was left with Dom," Ana recalled. "I should probably confiscate it before he wastes all our money on it."

"Probably." Sable fell silent. Ana made her way over to the check out with a pair of loose flannel Big Bird pajama bottoms, and a tent-like black T-shirt with a big Elmo on the front; Angel trailed after, lost in thought, twirling the rose idly in her fingers.

As they made their way to the next store, Sable was still silent. Angel danced off in pursuit of a bracelet she thought would be a nice present for Max, and Ana paused and looked into the reflective surface of the store's window. Sable stared into it with her, but Ana could see that her thoughts were miles and miles away.

"Luce or Trin?"

"I don't know," Sable admitted. "Both of them... I can't get either of them anything. Luce is, as you know, not in the gift-giving range at the moment. I feel weird buying myself a new chaplet so I can give him his present of praying for him more. And Trin... Trinity's...different. I keep thinking of things to give him, but he's changed so much since last Christmas--he's older, he's more mature than ever, he's found his brother, his father, he's finally shown his love for you, and he's going to be a father. I don't want to get him something father-related, because that'd be too obvious. Everyone's going to get him something like that. I don't want to make something myself, because I've done that every other year except for the past two. I don't know what to get him that's perfect, but I know he'll love anything I give him at all... It's just..."

"You expect so much from yourself," Ana agreed. "I remember this conversation." She nodded. "I think you should get the chaplet or whatever for Luce, pray for him, and once he's delivered to you on the wings of angels, give it to him."

Sable smiled slightly. "And Trin?"

"That's harder. He will love anything you give him, so I see your problem." Ana continued walking as Angel came out of the store with a tiny little bag with a necklace she'd bought instead of the bracelet inside.

"What are you getting him?" Sable asked.

Ana's face lit up. "I'm not going to be able to fly any more pretty soon," she said. "Even though our bones are super light and all that, babies still weigh a ton. I'm going to go flying with him to watch the sunset out by Shoreline."

Sable's smile turned into a rare, full-fledged beam and hugged Ana with one arm. "That's so cute! I'll make sure to keep the others away. I just hope it doesn't rain on you!"

"I hope not!" Ana laughed.

"It won't," Angel remarked, and then skipped into Hot Topic. OMG, guys, they have a Pong T-Shirt! Angel sent them a mental image, and Sable laughed.

"Maybe I should get Fang a Catholic Ninja shirt," Sable said after a moment. "It's s'posed to be red, but it's more pink..." Ana snorted. "But I don't know if he's gotten on board the entire Catholicism thing. Maybe the Fight Moral Relativism one. It looks pretty cool, has wings, and it's totally him..."

"Moral Relativism?"

"There is no real good or evil. Or, my version of evil doesn't have to be the same as yours, and that's perfectly fine. Meaning, ITEX can think that there's no evil, they're not doing bad things to actual human beings, because fetuses aren't human babies, and you guys aren't people. But you think that they're evil, you think that human life is precious from the moment of conception to natural death, and you're human too. Moral relativism would say, Oh, isn't that nice, on both parts, both of you are right, neither can be wrong, because there is no objective truth; and then try to find a compromise. Apply the 'everything's OK, no such thing as a universally bad thing', and you've got moral relativism. And Fang's been sort-of trying to get the message across that moral relativism is wrong. He just hasn't had the foundation to get going."

"Leave it to Sable to spout off Religion class during break," a voice said.

"Oh, hey, Jimmy," Sable said as she turned. "Doing Christmas shopping?"

Jimmy's eyes widened as Ana turned around and he saw her face. "...Yeah..." His voice was soft and vague, but it got louder as he proclaimed, "You're... Santana Flyte!"

Heads turned. Ana groaned. "Would you keep walking if I said no, I'm not?"

He gawked. "You are!"

"Angel, a little help here?" Sable called.

Angel stuck her head out of the shop, "Go away, we need our privacy," she told everyone, and they went back to their business. Jimmy shook his head as if to clear it, and then blinked. "Leave it to you to spout off Religion class during break," he sneered.

Sable's face went blank. "Oh geeze. Jimmy, I have to go. See you at school." She grabbed Ana's hand and dove into a tiny little Chinese bookstore in a very effective evasive manoeuvre. Jimmy took one look at the stacks and stacks of books and turned heel. Sable kept an eye out, and once everything was clear, she let out a breath. "Of course they'd be here."

"Classmates, or groupies?"

"Both."

Ana sighed. "At least we're getting recognized."

"Yeah."

"When do you think it'll be alright to go all out?"

"I don't know," Sable sighed. "I really don't. Will it be like _Wings of Wrath,_ and there will be something huge that happens? Will the government crack down like in _It Can't Happen Here_? I don't know."

Ana shifted uneasily. "Concentration camps… Fascism… Socialism… Nazis… Everything, all of those things would fund ITEX…support that sort of stuff… And we're the Jews in this case... Oh God, Dr. Mendel... Oh God..." Ana hugged herself tightly.

"Let's worry about it later," Sable said, putting a soothing hand on Ana's shoulder. "And by later, I mean as soon as we get home. 'Cause if we keep doing 'later', later, then everything will spiral out of control. But don't stress about it, because we're doing things. We're working on it."

Ana nodded and looked around. "It looks clear enough now. Want to go see what else there is? Maybe we could take Beth's lead and get them all books… Oh! Iggy present! Right over there! Remote control cars!"

"Totally! You can get him the Hummer, I'll get him the police car. He can have his own high-speed chases."

"Oh! We should get KIX the Hummer, and Iggy... No, let's get them both one. Iggy can have the red, and KIX can have the green--Christmas colors!"

"Awesome idea!"

"Get Max the police car." Angel smiled at them as she appeared behind them. "It'll be awesome."

"Right!"

* * *

"They're going to get us Sesame Street stuff," KIX moaned. "That's so not cool."

The other boys, who were old enough to know that the girls were probably going to get them serious presents in addition to their joke gifts, rolled their eyes and ignored him. "Think I should get Beth something Fullmetal Alchemist related?" Trin asked, holding up a cheap looking State Alchemist's watch.

"You know her better than me."

"Hummer?"

KIX shrugged. "She'll love whatever, as long as you don't get her a jewellery box." Fang gave them a weird look, but the other boys just shrugged. It was a long story.

Fang spotted something in a window. "Hey, didn't she have a ton of teddy bears...?"

"Yes, what about--sweet! One for her and Sable!" The bears were sitting in a display window, one dressed as Fullmetal, the other as Mustang. Trinity rushed over.

KIX rolled his eyes, grabbed Dom's sleeve, and dragged him out of the "anime junk shop", as he called it. The adults were waiting outside, and—to KIX's annoyance and Dom's amusement, Angelus was thumbing through the Maximum Ride manga. He dropped it as soon as the two boys came out, of course. KIX rolled his eyes again—they'd be on a rolling _track_, stuck on repeat, repeat, repeat soon!--and then shook his head at Angelus and Gabriel. "Someone come with Dom 'n' me!"

Gabriel and Angelus debated amongst themselves for a moment, and then it was decided that Gabriel would go. He sighed. "Meet you at the food court," he said, and then chased after KIX and Dom, who'd launched themselves into the crowd. KIX swung his hand back and forth to make sure Dom kept up, as well as to annoy Dom. The peregrine hybrid was glaring murderously at he hyper Hummer, unable to do anything but flip him off.

"Dom, what do you think I should get who?" KIX asked. Dom gave him an incredulous look and remained silent. KIX shot a look over his shoulder, expectant. The expectancy became apology. "Sorry, forgot," he mumbled.

_Obviously,_ Dom though bitterly, unable to give an audible, screeching reply due to the attention they'd receive. He withdrew back into himself and kept his eyes to the ground...

Suddenly, Kix's eyes narrowed and his shoulders hunched as if someone had thrown a bucket of ice water across his back. "Shit," he growled.

Dominic shot a glare of a probe over KIX's shoulders at the highlighter-haired, neon-banged, metal-mouth kids who were giggling at KIX. Dominic had no idea what they were _saying,_ but, whatever it was had gotten to KIX via his enhanced hearing—and it was pissing him freed himself of KIX's clenched fist and put his hands on KIX's shoulders so that he could steer him away. Usually, KIX would have let himself get pushed out of the crowd and onto a bench, or somewhere out of the way, so that they could calm him down.

But not this time.

He whirled around, shoved past Dominic, ducked under Gabriel's arm, and launched himself at what was apparently the main offender.

"_I._ Am _not._ _Freaking._ GAY!" Punctuated Punching was a great stress reliever. "_You. Are, _a-_sick_, _beast-tard!_ And _you! _Will _not!_ _Touch!_ My _friends!_ You _freaking!_ _ITEX! Intern!"_

The highlighter-pink mohawk'd twenty-or-so year old went down with a pummeled face before Dominic and Gabriel finally managed to rip KIX off of him. Surprisingly, none of the security guards who were walking right by them seemed to notice. Or they did, but then their faces became dazed and slack, and they walked onward. Dominic wasn't quite sure if he should feel relieved that they weren't noticing, or desperate for their help; Dom tightened his grip on KIX's arm and he and Gabriel had no problem in leading KIX away to a quiet bookstore where they could sit down and question KIX.

KIX was breathing heavily as he massaged his hands, and his eyes were watering with obvious anger and frustration. "I'm sorry," he whimpered, putting his head in his hands and sniffling miserably. "I just got so _mad..."_

"Clearly," Gabriel murmured. "But the question is—why? Did he do something that warranted a plum-pie face? I don't think just calling you gay and being an intern in Hell is a good enough reason..."

KIX shuddered. "It wasn't just that… I'm sorry, I didn't say it right when I was punching him—it was more than just calling me gay, or him being an intern, it was... He was wondering if I was gay for emos, because I was holding Dom's arm, and he was saying that he wondered if I liked punks too, because he was about to be upgraded from intern to researcher, and researchers can perform any kind of _experimentation_ with their subjects..."

Dom felt ice settle in his stomach, sending shivers up his spine and making his feathers bristle uncomfortably under his shirt. His grip on KIX's arm became so tight with anger that KIX gave a soft gasp of pain. Dom immediately let go, but it was only so that he could clench his fists.

"_I am going to kill him!"_ He shot up and turned to leave, but KIX grabbed one of his legs.

"No, Dom!" Gabriel commanded. "That's not the answer--"

Dom gave him a murderous glare, obviously communicating, _Then what the heck IS?_

"I promise you," Gabriel said, putting his hands on Dominic's shoulders, "that we will bring down ITEX once and for all. But killing a simple intern is no way to do that."

Dominic's dark eyes glinted with rage, but the grip that KIX had on his sneaker tightened and the younger boy's teary-eyed, begging gaze was eating away at his resolve. He clenched his jaw, but muttered a half-hearted, "Scree..." meaning, "_Fine."_

"I promise," Gabriel said, not knowing exactly what he'd said, but guessing at the resigned tone that it was something like 'Fine', or 'Alright'. "You and I are going to kick their sorry behinds together."

Dominic exhaled through his nostrils with his still simmering anger, and leaned back against the nearest bookshelf. He shook his foot a bit, and KIX let go so that he could wipe his eyes. He sniffed again. "I was thinking about Trin the entire time, and getting so freaking _mad,"_ KIX said helplessly.

"_I know,"_ Dom replied in a coarse, angry, low screech. "_I was, too..."_

"But it was just—they've taunted us before, they've picked at our pasts—but I've never gotten_ that_ angry--"

"_You're thirteen, Hummer," _Dom sighed. "_Your hormones are going crazy. I can smell 'em. Been smellin' 'em for a while, been wondering when you'd snap. You smell so... Gross. Angry. Irrational anger, and then a swing to a tearful, uncalled for meltdown. Just like a girl. I remember that—terrible age. Puberty for us is ten times worse than it is for regular humans, so you're going to be feeling lost and confused and all that shit. Just remember I'm here, right, KIX?"_

"I know. Thanks, Dom... Crap..." KIX smacked his forehead against a bookshelf, and Gabriel frowned, having not understood a single word of that.

"What?"

"Dom says that I'm going through _puberty. _The entire irrational anger and hormones and the freaking _tears..."_

Dom nodded, a slight smirk coming onto his face. "_Yup, puberty. And what I smell, is always right."_

"And what he smells is always right!"

"Ah." Gabriel sighed. "Well…"

"What's up?" The guys jumped as Catlyn appeared. She almost completely ignored Dom and Gabe and frowned at KIX. "What happened?"

KIX flustered. "What-what are you doing here?"

"One clue: Books." She made a face. "We had to drag Beth away from here—I got her and Nudge to leave, they didn't notice you coming in and I told them there was something I wanted to check out. I think Nudge took her to look at shoes—"

"_Scree-ee-scr…" _Translation: _Nudge is gonna die…_

"Duh. Now, what _happened_?" She poked his arm, still worried despite the sidetracked rambling. "You look like something's up. Can I help?"

Gabe rested his hand on her shoulder. "Nothing you need to worry about Catlyn. Go catch up with your group, OK?"

She frowned, not only at him, but at KIX. She put special emphasis on her words, "_Fine. _I'm _going_..." She began to leave but KIX grabbed her elbow.

"Wait! Don't tell the others, OK? We're good. I'm good. See? No worries." He smiled.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm no idiot. See you later."

The boys exhaled in relief—and then jumped as Sable appeared. She put a finger to her lips, and used her other hand to slap Dom's mouth closed. "Shhh!" she hissed. "I'm trying to hide from them."

"Why?" Gabriel asked, confused.

"Nudge. Shoes. Shoes?_ Me?"_ Sable gave the boys a 'Are you flipping out of your mind?' look. Dominic rolled his eyes, and KIX smiled hesitantly. She took one look at them and blinked. "...What's wrong?"

"How come it's so obvious?" KIX moaned.

Gabriel smacked him over the head. "Because you _make _it obvious."

"That, and Dominic would have hugged me and said something like, 'A kindred spirit!' or, 'You're my soul mate, darling!' in a funny voice if something _wasn't_ wrong," Sable said.

Dominic smirked again. "_KIX is going through puberty."_

KIX gave him a thumbs up from behind Sable. She was gawking at Gabriel. "Are you serious? KIX? Finally hit puberty? Oh no, we're doomed!" she wailed. "Ana's got mood swings already, and Fang's got the imminent danger of Beta, and then everyone _else—_oh no, we're ALL doomed!"

Gabe nodded. "Completely and utterly doomed."

_"Totally."_

"Uh-huh." Sable rolled her eyes.

"…What were we talking about?"

"KIX!"

Hummer laughed. "Ok. Um…what are you getting Trin?"

"You can't tell _anyone,"_ Sable prodded. They all nodded, and she turned to rummage in the shopping bag she had thrown over her back. Dominic smiled

"_Skee,"_ he approved.

She grinned. "I know, right?"

"What is it?" KIX leaned over to see, but Sable shoved the present back in the bag and stuck her tongue out at his disappointed face.

"Promise you won't tell?"

"Sable! I promised!"

"Fine, here." She handed him the bag. "See for yourself. What do you think?"

He gasped. "It's perfect, Sabes!"

She accepted the bag back smugly, asking, "What are you guys getting him?"

"A diaper bag."

She laughed. "Sounds good."

Dominic slid an arm around her shoulders, gave a pointed look at KIX and Gabe behind her head, and then said, "_Hey, Sabes, I need some help getting Ana a gift..."_ KIX and Gabriel were left behind with the vague feeling that they were missing something important.

KIX got over it quickly. "Did'ja say you'd meet him at the food court?"

* * *

**Gingerbread – Ana's POV**

"I'm doing Hogwarts!" Sable called, setting up the map of pieces she'd need to make such a building.

KIX and Beth went over to help her. Trinity and Fang were murmuring amongst themselves, with Angel sketching between them. I carefully stepped through the piles of gingerbread cookies, pastry-bags of icing, and bowls and bowls of candy, smiling, and made my way to the kitchen to get the next batch of hot chocolate out of the microwave.

We were making Gingerbread Houses. Or castles, or whatever. Nudge was making one of those fashion-walks, and was going to decorate gingerbread boys and girls in her own fashionista way. Dominic was just hanging out on the couch, eating bits and pieces and managing the iTunes playlist. Everyone else was gathered around the table, looking at the different patterns and pictures we had, trying to decide what to do.

"You should do Whoville. Or Sesame Street ." Beth grabbed a gum drop and stuck it to Gazzy's head. "And stop eating the candies or they'll eat you."

They laughed.

I set the mugs of chocolate on the table (without spilling any down the sides! Yes!) and stepped back before they could swarm around me and accidentally dump burning liquids down my front. An arm snaked out and caught me 'round the waist—and what a _round_ waist I was getting—and then I was being pulled into Trinity's lap. He grinned at me with childish delight. "Want to help?" he asked.

"Sure!" I nodded. "What are you building?"

"You'll have to wait and see," Fang said evilly. "Angel's got the blueprints."

"Dorks." I wriggled in Trin's lap, turning to face him and put on my best pouty face. "Won't you tell me?"

The evil Big bird shook his head, grinning ear to ear. "Nope. Can't tell you, Ana, sorry."

I crossed my arms. "Meanie."

"And proud of it." Fang grinned as he copied Beth in sticking a gum drop (bright red, cherry) to my forehead.

Trinity leaned forward and pressed his mouth to my skin, and his tongue felt _really, really_ weird on my forehead. But at least the gumdrop was off. But then again, I was turning as red as it. Trinity grinned at me, showing off the candy pierced between his incisors. I made up my mind, and I'm _sure _Angel helped; I pressed my lips to his, bit off the front half of the gumdrop, and then sat back and began chewing. Fang found some part of this hilarious, as he was cracking up into his elbow and Trinity was growing ever redder, and ever more annoyed at his brother. I found myself giggling, and then Angel was steering us back into the gingerbread... All a not-so elaborate plan by the little haloed angel. And I didn't really mind. Part of me wondered if she liked scenes like that, or if she just wanted to see us laughing. Either way...

I allowed Trin to play with my hair as Angel began to spread out the blueprints, and scowled when Fang laughed at me and took the blueprints away when I tried to lean over to see them. "What do you think, Trinity? Think we should let her see them? She might eat all the gingerbread."

I stuck my tongue out at him. "Just because I'm big as a house doesn't mean I can't kick your butt. Remember that." Fang laughed, and Trinity handed me a piece of gingerbread he'd frosted. I gave it a careful look at it, and then felt warm and fuzzy inside. "Aww, Trin. That's so cute." I smiled and bit off the _'You' _part of the _I LOVE YOU_ message he'd left.

"It better be. It's true." He handed the icing to Angel so she could begin on the project. I smiled.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, love." He winked.

* * *

Finally, it was beginning to come together enough to see what it might end up as. It wasn't what I had been expecting. I'd thought we were making a house. Or a crumbly Hogwarts. But no... What we made was a thousand times better. Fang had an eye for detail and practicality that was surprising. As Trinity put down the pieces of gingerbread and I frosted them into place, Fang carefully added decorative candy, frosting of different colors, and little pieces of gingerbread to create more support, or chimneys, or window panes.

And now, even though we were still missing a roof—or, as Angel piped in, a _second floor—_, the house was like out of a perfect daydream.

"It's perfect…" I breathed. Fang and Trin wore matching grins.

"We know."

"The dream house…"

"Exactly."

"Dad says that once we've got enough money and the will power, we can add on to his place in Colorado. There'll be enough room for everyone—and for more, in case the others ever feel like having their own kids. And we can be a safe house, too," Fang explained.

Trinity nodded and continued, "It'll be everything we've ever wanted. An attic, no basement, towers, secret passages, winding staircases, places you can hole yourself away with books, places to create little nest-spaces, places to play around, and plenty of gorgeous land to fly over..."

I hugged him tightly. "Thank you. You too, Angel."

She smiled toothily and began on the second floor.

* * *

**Max**

I fell. Yes, the amazing and mighty Max _can_ fall—and it was not on purpose. You can just ask Angel. I swear I did not mean to fall over Fang and wind up taking him down to the floor with me. However, I did mean the swift peck I gave him while he was pinned under me before I got up. "Sorry, Fangalator. Blame icing. That stuff is slippery…"

"Thank God for slippery icing." He shot me a trademark smirk, and then reached up and wiped my cheek with his sleeve. I smiled back in reply, _even_ with Iggy making a disgusted face and Gazzy looking ready to puke right across from us. They weren't jumping on me for being Fallible. They weren't gasping in surprise, or shock, or dread; they weren't scandalized, or fearing for the Flock.

_What had been wrong with me?_

I helped Fang up and put my arm around his waist. He was still Fang; he didn't instigate _this _sort of physical contact, but he didn't necessarily object when I did. In fact, he pulled me closer and rested his chin on the top of my head as we went into the kitchen.

_Really, Me. What was I thinking? Romance seems to have brought the Flock closer together, not torn us apart! My stupid angsting had been grinding at their nerves for ages... How had they put up with me?_

"We love you," Angel said offhandedly from where she was focusing on some decal work. Her tongue was sticking out, and she was practically cross-eye with concentration. I smiled.

Fang laughed, and my smile widened. "How's your project going?" I asked.

"Wonderfully." He brushed at my hair again, this time to remove some mint that Gazzy had gotten stuck there while throwing them at Fang. He snickered. "You're minty fresh now, Max."

"I'm so glad." I rolled my eyes.

"I like it!" He insisted leaning closer with a twinkle in his eye pretty much identical to Ol' St. Nick's. "Do you think you taste minty fresh?"

"How about you find out?" He tilted his head to his right and gently touched his lips to mine. _That _was it? Tasting? Hah! This was _Fang._ I pressed a bit closer and slipped my other arm around his waist. Gently, gently, I reminded myself happily. Really... This was the first Christmas I hadn't been pining away about Fang, or locked away in ITEX, or getting in fights with Flyboys, or being forced to spend 'father/daughter time' with Jeb because of Mom's bambi eyes... Instead, was being kissed oh so tenderly by the boy who was undoubtedly my soul mate, with mint still in my hair, and gingerbread all around me, with a roof over my head, friends and family all around me, Jeb's nose broken...

There's obviously a reason why this was called the most wonderful time of the year.

"Mhm."

I rolled my eyes at Angel, choosing to lean into Fang rather than reply. He rubbed my arm, leaning away from me briefly to grab another piece of ginger bread to beginning working again, only with me trapped in his arms this time as he did.

When I rolled my eyes this time, I did comment. "What? Am I your prisoner now or something?"

His lips twitched to the left and up, revealing just a small patch of teeth. "Something like that, yes."

I shrugged. "I'm sorry. I don't do damsel in distress. You better give me something to do before I start yanking my hair out."

He handed Angel his piece of gingerbread—it had turned out to be a Christmas tree, and he shook his head. "Nope. Sorry Max, but you're not really renowned for your artistic talents…"

"Shut up."

"Make me."

"Maybe I will."

"I dare you--"

The tattered copy of _Twilight_ went smacking. Sable laughed and high-fived Beth. "Good aim!"

"Mhm!" Beth snickered.

Gazzy was eyeing the book. "Do you take that with you everywhere…?"

"Uh…no?"

"Uh-huh."

I groaned. "They don't Gasman."

"Uh-huh."

"…"

"Uh-huh."

"Oh joy."

"Uh-huh."

Iggy piped up, "That's the way..."

"Uh-huh, uh-huh."

"We like it!"

I clamped my hands over my ears. "Shut it."

"What's the magic word?"

"_Please."_ Gazzy mimed zipping his lips, and I groaned. "You cheeseballs."

He grinned. "And proud of it!"

Iggy shrugged. "We're actually letting you off easy. The real magic word is jiga-jiga-jifog."

...Yeah. I didn't know what to say to that either.

Luckily, I was spared from answering by my half-sister bursting in, screaming, "IGGY!" like a crazed fangirl. Which she sorta _was._ He caught her as she totally glomped him.

"Hey, Ells!" She giggled and went to kiss him—and consequently got them both smacked with Twilight too. Iggy scowled. "We hadn't even done anything yet!"

"You were going to, and you two have issues with purpling anyway—and why is Ella so hyper? Did anyone give her Mt. Dew , or Red Bull?"

"Red Bull!" Ella nodded vigorously. "It doesn't give you wings, but I feel like I could flyyyyyy!"

We stared. And stared. And stared some more when Ella began laughing hysterically at nothing. I shook my head. "Oh God. My sister's high on caffeine…"

"Well, at least now you know she'll never do drugs—it'd kill her."

"Not helping."

"Shutting up."

I rolled my eyes for the millionth time and looked at Sable. "Do you have any idea how she could have gotten a hold of it…?" I trailed off.

She nodded and stood with some help from Dom, who supported her on his shoulder down the hall. There was a shriek, and then a plea for, "MERCY!". I blinked. Sable came limping back on her own, with Dom towing Jeb by my dad's shirt collar. Dom shoved Jeb onto the sofa, and Sable put a hand on her hip, more to support her torso's weight than to look menacing, but accomplishing both.

"Did you or did you not, let Ella have Red Bull?"

He looked at her like she'd lost it. "I did. Why--" Ella interrupted him with even more insane laughter. "Oh."

"Yes, '_oh'_," Sable agreed. "And why are _you_ here?"

"Ella needed a ride to the gingerbread party--"

"Which started an hour ago, by the way," Iggy interrupted.

"Traffic!" Jeb defended. "And Mason and Bella are coming in a separate car--"

"So why didn't Ella go with them?"

"Because…I had Red Bull? I don't know why, she just asked to ride with me, and I didn't know Red Bull would make her act like…" He ran a hand through his hair. "I thought Valencia just didn't like the calories or sugar or something."

"That's probably why Ella's like this," Sable sighed. "She doesn't have the built-up immunity to Insanity."

"I don't think anyone in my family's immune to insanity," I grumbled, only half joking.

Sable shrugged, turning back to get onto Jeb for giving Ella the Mt. Dew and telling him how he was responsible for when she crashed when the insane sugar rush ran off… But Fang had his arms back around my waist with his chin resting on my head, so my attention was anywhere but somewhere other than Fang. He'd pulled us a bit back from the others, so that the chaos just sort of washed over us. He was smiling. "This is nice."

"Yeah. Christmas magic?"

"Yeah. Or Red Bull highs are contagious."

I laughed. "Well, then it's a good thing we already have wings—or is that bad?"

He shrugged. "Neither. Both." He kissed my forehead. He left his cheek on my shoulder after that, and I could practically hear the gears turning in his head. Finally, he turned his gaze back up at me and began in a slow, halting voice, "Hey Max…"

"Hm?"

"Will you be…this is so cheesy, don't hit me—will you be my Christmas angel?"

"This is stupid, don't hit me—what's that?"

He looked away from me, and I swear he was almost blushing, if that was even possible. "I don't know. It sounds nice...I figured, we could make it up as we go along...wing it... I dunno. It's stupid...Sorry."

I turned his chin and patted him on the cheek. "I love it, Fang," I said firmly. "Winging it sounds great." He really was blushing. I could feel the heat in his face, even if I couldn't see the flush, as I kissed him gently.

He kissed me back, just long and sweet enough for me to want more as he pulled away. It wasn't fair, I almost pouted. He smiled. "Sorry, Maximum, but I don't want hit."

"I won't hit you."

"The Cullens might."

I shook my head and rested it in the crook of his neck between it and his shoulder, on the flat part just on the edge of his collarbone. I could hear his heartbeat, so fast, so loud under my ear; and he was so warm... He began stroking my hair and I closed my eyes in ecstasy. He didn't even have to kiss me to make me feel like I was flying. And it wasn't even Christmas yet...and I was his angel... I smiled, nestling into him further.

_ Christmas is now officially my favorite holiday._


	36. Chapter 33: Gifts Part One

_**A/N: **Dominic's quote is from Lord Byron. Jason's gift to Kate is one that I myself received from Santa back in fifth grade when I was pining away after an eighth grader (yes, laugh at me here). _

_Early Christmas Presents for y'all.  
_

* * *

Emma didn't speak so that Luce could hear. She spoke for herself. The only reason she was there at all was because he'd become unresponsive, and was now unmonitored. This was the only place she could find--but she still spoke as if telling him her story. If only because she was falling apart at the seams, and he just happened to be there to listen to the breaking...

"I don't understand." She shook her head, her hair falling limp in her face. There was no trace of her trying to be innocent, not any airs. She really was desolate. "I don't understand!" And she was angry.

"I hate everything. I'm intelligent.. I'm deceiving. I don't care. I'm everything anyone ever wanted--!" She shook her head violently, punching the wall. "I don't understand!" She stepped back, fists trembling. Her voice broke. "I'm not doing anything wrong—I'm doing everything wrong. It's what I'm supposed to do. What I'm supposed to be. I don't understand why everyone rejects me… They created me, so they messed up, but… They can't abandon me!" She cried, sinking down to the floor. "Talking to myself, talking to a boy that might as well be a corpse…why? Why, why, why?"

She was covered in grime. Not only because of her job, not only because this place has not been touched in ages—she hadn't been keeping herself as clean as usual. She was a mess. And no one had noticed. She dropped her head in her hands. "I'm nothing…Why? What am I missing? I'm the _same _as her. Why not me? What did I do _wrong? _Why do you hate me?" She dropped her hands. They fell limp to her sides and her head fell forward to rest on her knees.

"I don't understand…" She lifted her hands to clutch her knees to her chest. She was curling in on herself. "I tried. I tried to be as good as her--even when no one wanted me. I did everything they told me to. But they still didn't want me. The dumped me, _the failure, _off on the _kid _because no one wanted me. I tried to impress you. A stupid crush, they'd told me to have it—and I wasn't good enough for that either." She sniffed. "I thought it was just because you were a failure too. It wasn't my fault. Everything else might be, but losing you to _them _wasn't. You were originally like them, right? It made sense." She shook her head. "But Zach _wasn't. _Zach _isn't. _Why's he becoming one of you? I don't understand." She wiped her eyes. "Is it my fault? What's wrong with me? Why am I not good enough?" She choked. "Why do you all keep leaving me? Why can't I get anyone to stay with me? I've never done anything…" She began to sob.

"You all created me…Why do you keep abandoning me?"

Lucifer suddenly stirred. His wings rustled, and then a foul odor hit her in the face. He hadn't been bathed or cleaned in a while either; his hair was lank and stringy, a grimy color that looked nothing like the straw-blond it had been before. He looked at her through dull, narrow eyes, and licked his cracked lips. "Don' say that," he rasped.

Her eyes snapped wide open and she froze. "You-you were unconscious. Out of it." She wiped at her eyes furiously, attempting to save some lost dignity, trying to come up with some lie but coming up blank. She glared. "What do you care anyway? Just forget it!"

"Mmph..." He attempted to sit up, but his arms didn't seem to want to support him. He sighed and rolled gingerly onto his side so that he could see her better. After recovering from an especially painful flare in his ribs, he managed, "I care a lot, that's what I care. And I probably will, in a few hours..." He sighed.

Her gaze faltered before it hardened. "Good." She tried to come up with another come back but couldn't. "Crap..." She stood up stiffly, legs feeling like Jell-O though she'd never say, and began brushing herself off. "What else can go wrong?"

"Well, they could decide that I should get fed to the Grotesques. Or maybe they might want to parade me out in public. Or maybe they'd make me smell myself."

Emma smiled. "That last one is probably the worst, and the second most likely won't happen. And I won't let them feed you to the Grotesques--you might make them sick."

He chuckled, but it was rather wheezy. "Glad someone cares enough."

"Didn't say it was about you."

"Didn't say you cared about me. Hey, if you being in love with one of those beast-tards is what keeping me away from them..."

"Luce! I am not in love with a Grotesque! Ew!"

He laughed again. "What about that runt you took care of? Any feelings there?"

She grimaced. "They just gave me that job because no one else wanted it--and the runt tried to eat me, remember? Ungrateful beast-tard."

"Right. You say that now," he teased.

"Weirdo." She made a face, then leaned back against the wall. "I've got another couple hours or so. I was just going to hide out in here, so you can shut up and go back to sleep."

He was silent for a moment, then, "Haven't slept since I got in here."

"Oh...sorry." She looked away.

"You ever get...the nightmares...?"

She shrugged. "Not so much. I don't know why...I just don't dream."

His gaze dropped to his messily bandaged hands. Silence fell again. This time, he didn't speak. His wings rustled as he spread them wider over his body to keep in some heat. She glanced at him, but he wasn't looking at her, staring off into space with a terrible, melancholy but otherwise blank expression...

"Why?" she broke the silence with a jolt to both of them and carried on after scowling at herself. "I mean, why do you care? You didn't have to..."

Luce closed his eyes. "Being wanted by ITEX and Zachary... Being valuable... Emma, it's not what you'd want. I don't want... Emma, ITEX is killing everyone around us. They don't care about us. To know that I could be terminated in an instant—that I could be ordered to terminate one of the other Fallen, or another sane experiment, with those fears over my head, it's so hard... Zachary... He's so confusing. He preaches morality, but I'm... I'm afraid of... He might turn on me and kill me if he was ordered to, or if his other projects became compromised.

"It's not fun with that hanging over you. And then when I met Sable, I was just curious at first. She was so different. I didn't think she was really pretty, but the way she glared at Zach—and then she slapped him! Tell me you haven't wanted to do that, but have been too afraid.

"And then I saw that she was just as strong as all of us Fallen, maybe not physically, but she was—no, she was even stronger than I could ever hope to be, than any of the Fallen. She's so sure of herself, of her faith. Even if it _does_ turn out to be made up, I don't care. I want to be strong like that. I want to be able to stand up for myself, stand up against the things that frighten me... And then I started... It's so hard—" He struggled for words. "I would give up everything here, even if I am wanted. Just to keep people safe, just to stand up for what I feel is right, to stand up for _myself_. Do you know how many Fallen have been killed already? Fifty of the two hundred of us. And that's just the Fallen. What about the others, who aren't so different from us? And then we're next. As soon as we become unwanted, and no matter how hard we try, someone new will come, someone better, and our time will be up.

"Would you rather wait for your friend, your creator to become your executioner and die betrayed, alone, helpless...or would you want to live with people you loved? Who cared, who'd never betray you? I don't want...Emma, I don't want to feel so empty and alone, and that's what everything is here. Empty, desolate, and unfeeling. Outside..." His voice faded to a rasp and he coughed.

Emma shook her head. "What? It's different? Maybe. I doubt it. And it wouldn't be that different for me anyway--I _hurt Sable_, Luce. Why are you talking to me? I _want _to hurt you. And her. And everyone." She punched the floor. "It doesn't make any sense. This is all retarded."

"You hurt Sable, yeah. But at the moment, if I didn't talk to you, I'd start talking to myself, and that's a sign of insanity. Wait, it's a sign of insanity to talk to you... Ugh. Look. I nearly killed Sable myself. And you see how she took me back—it's not just because of the romance we have. She'd take in Zachary even, if he came around _truly _changed... The others would as well, if you gave yourself a chance... And you can hurt me if you like. I can't do anything about it. Right now, I'm absolutely defenseless. Do it. Go out and kill us all. Leave the poor floor alone and punch _me. _Go ahead, I'm waiting."

Emma sat up, glaring at him for a long moment before she slumped forward and laughed dryly. "Like killing you would make any difference. It wouldn't do me any good, let alone you." She curled up again. "I hate this. Luce—you don't get it. None of this is going to make a difference. Talking? It's pointless. I'm still going to hunt down The Family. I'm still going to plot and hate. I'm still going to follow orders and do whatever ITEX tells me. After the hour's up I'm going to walk right out that door and forget all this. I have to. I don't want to end up like you." She closed her eyes to erase him from her sight. "I _am _going to hurt all of you, at one point or another, but only when I get something from it—that's the way the world works."

Luce watched her with something akin to sadness in his eyes. "You're wrong," he said firmly. "And we'll prove it."

She stood up and walked towards the door. "Whatever. I hope they get you out of here soon, Luce. You don't belong here."

It was of his opinion that a truer statement he'd never heard her speak.

* * *

**Trinity**

"I can get my own magazine."

"Just take it, Princess."

"Make me, Elmo."

"Would you take it if Big Bird gave it to you?"

"Maybe."

I rolled my eyes. "Ana, stop picking on Fang and just take it."

She smiled and snatched the magazine from Fang's fingertips. He rolled his eyes good naturedly and sat back. "Read that paragraph, Santana."

"...Jerk."

"What's it say?" I asked.

"Nothing," both of them chorused, and while I got the hint that it wasn't anything important, I still felt bugged. However, I was interrupted by Dr. Tamlin coming out and gesturing at us. I jumped up and had to chase after Ana, who had dropped the magazine and speed-walked to the doctor with giddy feet.

Why was she so excited? Why, it was quite obvious. Dr. Tamlin had said that we'd probably be able to tell the genders this time around. You can guess that Ana was ecstatic, as was I. Fang was merely amused as he trailed along after us.

We went straight for the ultrasound room this time, instead of the counseling room. By the time I caught up with Ana, she was already on the bed and staring at the screen with devoted intensity. Dr. Tamlin was pointing out the two strings of pearls on the black-and-white ultrasound, waiting for the 3D (actually, the one we had here was 4D because it was a moving image) to come up.

And then there were our tiny little babies, with their large, round heads, tiny shoulders, alternatively crossed and stretching legs—and by God, _toes!_ I could nearly imagine myself counting them... Ana cooed as Twin B as we called it turned a bit, revealing it was sucking its thumb.

And, of course, there were their wings that twitched and fluttered occasionally, but we couldn't tell at this angle.

My chest swelled at the sight of them, and I gripped the cuffs of my sleeves in a vain attempt to contain my excitement. "Can you tell?" I asked.

"From this angle, I believe I can," he said. "Of course, we can't be quite sure until later on, closer to twenty weeks, but... They're developing so _fast._ From what we first calculated they should be on thirteen, but they look more like fifteen weeks!"

"So?" Ana demanded.

"I believe—and this comes from a fallible man—that this one," —here, he pointed at Twin A— "this one here is a girl."

Ana looked like she was having trouble refraining from bouncing. "And the other?"

"He is most assuredly a boy."

"Anna Marie and Nicholas Gabriel!" She grinned at me. "Sabes was right!"

Fang had come in just as she said, "Nicholas Gabriel", and his jaw fell open against his chest. Shock flooded his mind, and what I got was a big, hilariously surprised exclamation mark of surprise.

"Uncle Fang!"

He shook his head. "Wow-do I get to babysit?"

"Of course!"

He nodded. "I've got a nephew..."

"And a niece!" Ana was beaming.

"And a niece," he agreed. "A niece and nephew...I'm getting old."

"Yeah, time's a wasting, buddy." I grinned at him mockingly. "Better get a move on."

Fang's face arranged itself into a carefully molded scowl, and he looked back at the ultrasound. "So, how big are they, really?"

"They'd fit into your hand easily," Tamlin said.

Fang's eyes widened a fraction. "Really! They take up a lot of room..."

"Well, there's..." And Tamlin went on a schpeal of bio-babble that I'd heard at least three times before (all on visits where Fang hadn't come). Surprisingly, Fang became quickly absorbed and sat down on Ana's mattress, listening intently to Tamlin and asking questions.

I looked at Ana questioningly, and she shook her head. "Doubt it," she said.

"But... Nah, you're right. No way he'd do that. He's more of an author."

"Probably, yeah."

"Fascinating," Fang said, having ignored us completely. "What were you saying, Trin?"

"Didn't Sable say you were destined for a great career as an author if you ever got your spelling straightened out?"

"Yeah. And then I told her it wasn't my fault if I couldn't spell and I didn't really care."

I shrugged. "Details, details."

"In this case, details are important. I'm not writing."

"You know there's such a thing as spell check nowadays? It's _fascinating." _Ana laughed.

Fang rolled his eyes. "I blog. That's enough."

"I have an idea," I said, feeding him some of my good humor. "Wanna hear?"

"I know what you're doing," he pointed out, giving me a bit of his level-headedness. "But sure."

So it was working. Good. "How about you blog a bit of your writing? I'm sure it'd be much more interesting than a regular old post. And I really want to see what your style is like."

"It won't be any good," he warned me. "But if it makes you happy and you don't bug me again, I'll think about it."

"You have to do more than just think. You have to do it. And you'll like it, trust me."

Fang smirked. "An what do you know, oh wise Big Bird?"

"A lot. I--"

"Just do it, Fnick." Ana made a face at us. "You know you want to, and he'll never stop bugging you until you do."

"Fine, fine," he relented. "But you can't tell Max."

I shrugged. "Whatever."

Ana changed the topic by squealing, "Look at the yawn! She yawned! She yawned!"I looked up at the screen as little Anna Marie smiled briefly, and I got the biggest grin on my face.

"Looks like she likes your attention."

Ana squeezed my hand and I sat back to watch with her. Every little detail engraved itself into the walls of my skull, and I found myself trying once again to imagine what they'd look like when they were fully developed, when they were born, when they could walk, when they had teeth and hair and feathers...

"I bet Nick will look like you," Ana said to me.

"I bet he looks like you."

"Nuh-uh."

"Uh-huh."

"I say he'll look like me," Fang said flatly, and we laughed.

* * *

**Fang's Blog – 12/24**

_I've put this off as long as I could. Now, the day before Christmas, I doubt Trinity will continue to 'forget' to remember our deal. He made me promise to write something so that he could see what my 'style' was. In my defense, I tried to refuse, but there is no arguing with him. Especially when he can subtly influence your thoughts so you can't remember whatever strong argument you'd usually have against such attack. The most I could think of was that I can't spell._

_To which Ana replied with a simple, "Spell check, dork."_

_I have tried to ignore this, but once Sable heard of the deal (this morning, curse you, O Mind Reader Angel!*) she sat me down with my laptop and trained her Look on me. There was no escape. I was forced to pound the poor keyboard until my fingerprints had worn smooth and my mood was the blackest it had ever been. I've been starved for inspiration as of late, but there's something about the people and events around me—no, I won't tell you the specifics—have reminded me of a girl I once knew._

_Squee now. You won't when I'm done. I can't write worth anything, and I don't have any idea how o begin, so I'm just going to—in the words of our much beloved Maximum "Charging Off" Ride—__I'm just going to jump right in and you try to keep up._

_You blog readers should prepare yourselves for a miracle. Are you ready? You better be. I'm warning you. You seriously need to be sitting down or something._

_You're sure? Really sure?_

_Here goes._

You ever think, _"This is it, I'm in heaven"?_ Or,_ "This is it--I've finally got my fairy tale"?_ It sounds like a very flowery, feminine thing to say so just blame it on my new status as Uncle Fang. But still, I try to be some Prince Charming. And then if I am, Prince Charming has had some tough luck let me tell you.

First, he got booted out of his castle. The King turned out to be an incompetent buffoon, who disappeared and _then_ led the army that kicked the Princes and Princesses out.

Then, the Prince learned the art of eating the delicacy that is rat. More specifically, a rat of desert origin, roasted.

And since nothing could be more obvious, our Prince Charming hadn't really had that much luck with the Princesses. But I'd like to say that our tough-luck Prince finally reached the end of his troubles—and if not the end, then he's already claimed the prize and is _still_ willing to work for it. That's what love is all about, isn't it?

Our Prince finally, after everything, not only has an evil alter-ego, a twin brother, a soon-to-be sister-in-law, a whole new family with a little niece and a little nephew on the way, but our Prince has finally won the heart of is Snow Queen, and has reached peace at heart with the new sister—the lovely Princess Santana.

But, this isn't about that. Or, it wasn't going to be anyway. This tale is about the Prince finally winning the Snow Queen's heart, after she's already held his for so long and didn't even know it. It had been back in New York, after a near-death experience where feelings had been brought out once in for all. The Prince had made a promise to the Queen, and she followed through with it.

Ice skating. The beautiful Queen took her Prince _ice skating_. And oh, for all her grace she still let the Prince help her with her skates. And, even though she was a Snow Queen, an ass-kicker, and a chocolate chip cookie lover, it was revealed that she was still a klutz on the ice. Thus, she allowed the Prince have the honor of helping her learn how to skate.

Our Snow Queen was amazing. She kept trying, and she kept teasing, keeping at it until she learned, playfully bantering in that way she has—and learning how to skate with that beautiful determination on her face, and almost winning every neck and neck race they held there after, brining them both joy.

Then, she had the nerve to ask for hot chocolate.

Of course the Prince had suggested it first, being wiped out, but that's beside the point. The Prince almost tripped and she teased him about his Ninja origins, a memory that he'd rather have forgotten. She was a very kind Snow Queen, obviously.

After they exchanged their skates for shoes, the pair went to get their hot chocolate. The Prince bought it—but the Snow Queen paid him back by looking adorable, imitating a dragon by exhaling out her nose.

The Prince made a face and made his Queen laugh. He loved the sound; it made his heart swell in his chest, filling it with love... He wanted to kiss her, but he made sure to ask first.

She explained to him why she thought she'd run before, but how she was better now. He didn't care. He'd forgiven her all along. But it was nice to know that she had fixed herself.

They got off topic by a memory of some of the Prince's troubles, which brought her to hers. Amazingly she told him in was no point arguing, and then they brought the topic to Ninjas again.

Something changed in her face, and the Prince worried. Was it the mysterious Voice that sometimes aided her? Was it a brain-attack, an event that hadn't been repeated in years—but always looming at the back of his mind? Was it something else?

She came-to and gave him a quick kiss, telling him she was better. It was her evil clone, trying and failing at her task. He was relieved, but in his worry he had gotten hot chocolate on his fingers. She took one of his hands from his face and licked it, then assuring him it was still good. It was Ninja flavored. She made him blush.

He kissed her then, so overcome with the love of her humor, her wit, her perseverance; he could taste the hot chocolate on her lips. She could taste the peppermint on his.

He teased her about flavored lip gloss, and she asked about his Dad, and they wandered home thinking about Bruno the Brute—the poor, mummified gorilla that never stood a chance against the one called Catlyn the Insane.

It seemed, then, that everything would be alright. He'd won back his throne, even if it was in a new, dirty, unstable kingdom. He'd found the Crown Prince, who had found his own soulmate and had two children on the way. He'd found his true father, who was the True King—and the odds of finding the King's Queen were optimistically high. All the other members of the royal family were in good health and hands...

And in our Prince's heart, his Snow Queen would forever be his Princess.

--Fang

_This is what you get, Sable, Trinity, Ana. I don't know whether to thank you or tell you to bug off, so I'll go with BUG OFF. I'm no good at this sort of thing. Give me something bleak and depressing, and I'll give you something stellar. But you guys got me hooked on that addictive Christmas Spirit... Ugh._

_Thank you._

_Fly On._

_-Fnick._

_*Sorry, Ange. You know I'm joking._

* * *

**Sable**

I'd wrestled Max into wrestling Angel, Gazzy and Nudge into bed (armed with cups of hot cocoa and promises to be fast asleep by the time we got up there), and now I had to deal with Max herself and the other 'grown ups' as they called themselves.

Grown ups. Right.

"Iggy, put that _down_," I said as I came out of the hallway. "Those are for the reindeer, not you, silly."

He put the carrot down sheepishly. "Can I have a cookie, then--"

"Those are for the owner of the reindeer."

The blind boy shot a mournful expression at the plate he was standing over, and then looked over at the wall beside me with an attempt at Bambi eyes. While Bambi eyes didn't work on me, having a blind boy staring at the wall instead of me pulled at my heartstrings. "However," I said, "you can eat the cookies that are sitting in the kitchen."

"Cool!" He beamed at me and ran to the kitchen, followed by KIX.

"But guys, you gotta listen in while I talk, 'kay?"

"Alrighty!"

I turned to the adults who were cuddling around on various pieces of furniture in the living room. Trinity yawned lazily and snuggled further into Ana's arms; the cold always made him sleepy, and although we had the heat on, it was freezing. Good cuddling weather.

"Hey, guys. It's bedtime. Before you start whining, I want to explain. The little kids want you to be asleep—or at least up in your rooms, quietly reading. And we've got to humor them, or else Angel's threatened to go puppet-master and drag you up there."

Max blinked. "So, we don't have to go to sleep and we can keep doing this, right, as long as we're quiet?"

I nodded. "Yes, Max. You can keep snogging Fang."

"Good enough for me!" Fang said before Max could snark at me, and he scooped her up. "Night, peeps."

I watched with a smile as he tossed her over his shoulder and dragged her protesting down the hall and up into the attic. Trinity looked at me lazily through his lashes, and then made a, "Mmmm," sound as Ana smoothed back his hair. I continued to smile, but crossed my arms and tapped my foot. "You guys can cuddle in my room," I sighed. "But I'm kicking Trin out when I go to bed. I'll give you twenty minutes."

Ana sighed happily. "Alright. Come on, Trinity." She practically dumped him onto the cold floor, and he ran to the room and jumped under the heavy quilts I'd put there. Ana laughed softly. "Thanks, Sable."

"No problem."

I didn't wait for her to go down the hall. Instead, I turned to Beth, who was curled up in the corner of the sofa, fast asleep. I pondered standing over her with a spork until she woke up—but then decided that'd be too mean, and I didn't have a spork. Plan B went into action. I poked her with a finger. "D, wake up. KIX is waiting for you."

She squinted at me. "Huh?"

"Bedtime. Come on, up-and-attic." I grabbed her arm and pulled her off the sofa. "You can take the blanket with you," I called, and allowed her a second to wrap the blanket around her before I proceeded to tug her down the hall. I made sure that Angel was going to help Beth to the right sleeping bag, and then went back down the hall. I passed KIX, who gave me a hug and then a quick kiss on the cheek—he was carrying a sprig of the mistletoe that had been put up in the center of the living room. "Beth's asleep. Save it for tomorrow morning," I warned him. He grinned.

"What a way to wake up," he remarked, and disappeared into the attic.

"Iggs, you'll be wanting to head up, too," I said.

He nodded, and grabbed a few more cookies before taking his leave.

"_He didn't save any for you," _Dom said disapprovingly.

"And you did?" I leaned back against the counter and gazed at the oven door, spreading my hands out towards the warmth.

"_Mhm."_ He turned around, and then faced me with a plate of cookies he'd been hiding behind his back. _"Made 'em myself." _He grinned.

"I can't eat that many!" I protested. "We'll have to share."

"_Fine by me."_ He held out an arm and guided me back to the sofa. _" So we have twenty minutes to hang out before you kick Trin out of the room and call it a night?"_

I nodded as I sat down. "Yes, but you can head out to see _her_, if you want," I told him quietly. "Just watch out for incoming Saints."

Instead of thanking me profusely and jumping out the door without a backwards glance as I'd expected him to, he shook his head and looked down at the cookies. _"She's in Salt Lake City tonight,"_ he said, without any wistful tones or forlorn sighs. _"And she specifically told me to hang with you. So I am."_

"Glad to know that she cares," I said sarcastically.

He seemed offended. _"I care, too," _he said. _"I'm just explaining why I'm not heading out to visit her."_

"Mm'kay."

Dom paused for a moment, then he put his arm around my shoulders. I leaned into his side and picked up a bell-shaped cookie that was covered in gold frosting, with little silver sugar pearls around the rim. I could feel his falcon-voice keening in his chest, but he didn't let it out to form words. He sighed.

"Something wrong? You sure you're alright?"

"_I'm just... I've got a bad feeling..."_

I slipped my free arm around his back, between his wings and the back pillow of the couch. He pulled me a bit closer and I rested my head on his chest, staring out at the pitch black glass that obscured my vision of the backyard.

"I know."

"_I don't," _he said bitterly. _"And Angel won't tell me. She asked me what I had a feeling about, and I told her that I felt like someone was going to die—I felt that around her and... I don't know... I just feel it, in my gut."_

"And what did Angel say?" I asked. My voice was low and quiet to match his sombre gaze and his hushed, warbling tone. "Did she look frightened?"

"_She looked like she was going to cry."_

"She's probably thinking of someone else," I said firmly. "Maybe that boy who gave her the flower. Or someone. Your girlfriend—she's my _cousin_. She can't die. She just can't."

Dominic's grip on my shoulders disappeared; I could hardly feel it, even though it was still there. His jaw was clenched so tightly that I knew it had to be against tears. I shut off the light immediately. To see Dominic cry was to see a stained glass window break. Immediately, moonlight flooded the room, and our faces were illuminated by the blinking green, red, blue, and yellow lights on the tree. His eyes seemed black in the darkness, glassy with tears.

I couldn't see his lips trembling, though. It was good; if I had seen that, I would have begun to cry as well.

"She can't," I said softly. "She just..._can't."_

"_'For the sword outwears its sheath, and the soul wears out the breast. And the heart must pause to breathe, and love itself have rest.'..."_

* * *

**Trinity**

"Whoa…" I said.

"I know." Ana leaned against me as I reread Fang's post. She kissed my cheek and tugged on my arm, pulling me away from our spot by the brightly lit tree. It was still dark outside, and the house was still peaceful with sleep. It wouldn't be in a matter of hours. "Come on, it won't be that much longer before the others wake up, let's head upstairs. You don't want to be between them and presents when they first wake up, do you?"

I smiled, shaking my head. "No…but you don't want to wake them either, do you?" I brushed her cheek with the back of my hand. "Christmas morning, all that hustle and bustle… I like our peace."

"Me too," she said happily. "It's been a while."

"Tell me about it," I said. "I mean, last night was nice... But I fell asleep too quickly."

"Yeah, we had five minutes of you being awake, and then you were _out."_

"I'm sorry! It was just so nice."

Her lips spread in a glorious smile at my implied praise. I pulled her closer so that our foreheads touched. "You're perfect," I assured her. "Stunningly perfect."

Her arms went around my neck and she pressed a soft kiss to my lips. A happy thought fluttered around my checked-out brain; _If I get kissed every time I praise her, I should do it much more often..._ God knew, I'd always mean it.

There was a clearing of throats, and when we looked up we saw my Fang smirking at us. Angel and Gazzy stood by him, rubbing their eyes and snickering along.

"You two busy?"

"Yes, quite," I replied, and went back to kissing my fiancé.

Gazzy stuck his tongue out at us, but otherwise plopped down on the floor where he was and did his best to wake himself up faster, pinching and rubbing his eyes. He glanced at the presents under the tree and back at Fang. "How much longer until we can wake the others up?"

"We're up," Max grumbled, and flopped down on the couch, taking up all the room. Fang lifted up her legs, sat down, then dumped them back into his lap. Let me correct myself. _Now_ all the room was taken.

Everyone else just sat on the floor, eyes trained on the presents glistening under the tree.

Sable slipped in and stole a seat at the table, then cleared her throat. "Do _not_ open them, but find your presents."

Chaos broke out.

"This one's mine!"

"This one's yours, Igs."

"Catch Trin!" I caught a large present that was thrown at me by a mischievous looking KIX. "It's from all of us!"

I raised my eyebrows. "Right." I sat down on the piano bench and waited for the others to finish exchanging gifts.

Sable had a pile that was so high, it hid her from view when she was standing (which, I admit, wasn't saying much. Shortie). Beth, too, had a high stack of presents, and she seemed not to know what to do with them. Everyone else had a fair amount, and my own grouping of boxes was growing steadily. Everyone was handing presents to their owners, regardless of if they were the sender or not.

Soon, though, there were no boxes left. All eyes turned to Sable, who peered out from behind the castle wall she'd made by stacking the boxes. "Alright. One at a time, though! And you have to share, if it's something that's not really personal."

"Me first!" Gazzy said, and tore into the first gift—from Iggy—before anyone could move. The wrapping paper fluttered to the floor in little shreds, falling away to reveal a small black box with "The Gasman" on a neat label on the front. "What is it?" he asked Iggy. "Bomb parts?"

"Lock picks."

"Dude!" Iggy held out his hand, and Gazzy reached over to smack it.

"Can I go next?" Omega asked. We assured him that yes, he could, he didn't have to ask, and he began prying the white-and-red pinstriped present that I recognized as from Santa. It was rather large, and all I could see from this angle was a brown cardboard box.

"What is it?" I called, craning my neck.

Omega pulled open the box with ease and found a very cool looking jacket, with _Jason _written across the shoulders in golden stitching. He stared at it in awe, mesmerized. Kate smiled and ripped it from his hands, draping it over his shoulders. "Read the card!" KIX prompted.

"To Jason, from Santa Claus... Welcome to the family."

I grinned at him. "Not that you weren't welcome before of course."

"Yeah..." He shrugged it on, smiling at all of us. "Thanks."

We smiled. "My turn!" KIX said, and then handed Beth a box.

"But it's your--"

"Didn't say it was my turn to open anything, did I?"

Beth flushed. "Oh, fine..." She took the box and opened it, eying KIX the whole time. "This isn't going to be one of those presents where something jumps out at me, is it?" KIX laughed and shook his head. "Alright." She began unwrapping.

"Oh my gosh." Beth stared at the present, her eyes wide and mouth hanging open.

"...You are so dead," Ana said in awe.

KIX blushed, and gave Beth a quick poke. "You alright Beth?"

She nodded slowly. "Have I told you how much I heart you?" She hugged his waist tightly.

He stuck his tongue out at Ana. "Not dead yet, am I?"

Ana shook her head. "Who's turn?"

"Mine!" Nudge held up a present wrapped in crimson paper and tied with a thick, gold satin ribbon. "From Fang," she said proudly.

She opened the box and got a card, she opened it up and laughed, holding up the gift card as she read aloud. "To Nudge, I figured shopping was the best gift I could give you. Enjoy, Little Shopaholic."

"Note the store," Fang said.

Nudge smiled and tucked it into her pocket before _we_ could. Darn. Catlyn began poking my arm. "Open yours now, KIX and Dom have been talking about how awesome it is for ages."

"Fine."

I shook the box, held it up to my ear, and then handed it off to Iggy. "Can you tell if it's a bomb?" I asked, quite concerned.

"It's clean, Trin."

I nodded. "Thank you, Iggy." I proceeded to tear off the wrapping paper. I then gave a loud groan. "Thanks, guys."

"More sincerely, thank you, guys," Ana said. "It'll come in handy."

"_You're welcome,"_ Dom said. _"But you should see what's inside it, y'know. We might have put the bomb in _there."

"..." I unzipped the bag as quickly as I could, and I didn't find a bomb. At least, not exactly. Ana leaned over and said, "Awwww!" quietly in my ear. "That is so cute."

"Thanks, guys," I said and pulled out the statues. There was a small cradle with two babies wrapped inside, one in a blue blanket and one in pink. Above them hovered their guardian angels, with their beautiful white wings spread out protectively above them.

I smiled and elbowed Ana. "You go next."

She rolled her eyes. "Anything in particular you want me to open next?"

"Yes, actually. The blue one, with the snowflakes." I pointed at it, grinning. "It's from Gabe. The dark green one with the Christmas trees is from me."

Ana smiled widely and pulled Gabriel's present into her lap. She ran her fingers over the wrapping as she picked up the card and leaned against my shoulder, holding it so that I could read it over the top of her head.

"_Dear Ana, _(it began)

"_I didn't know what to get you. When we went to the mall, I realized that I know very little about you. Next to nothing, in fact. You are beautiful, strong, caring, compassionate... But I don't know _you._ I don't know you as a father should know his daughter._

"_But that doesn't mean I don't love you more than life itself. Even though I only knew you for a few short days nineteen years ago, I spent every second of every day after that loving you. Now, I have the chance to show you how much I love you. I hope you can see exactly how much in your present—I treasured those few moments I had with you and your mother, all of us a family. For so long, they were all I had._

"_Forever Yours,_

_--Gabriel."_

I held onto the card as she began opening the present, sniffling a little bit. A gentle, sloping piece of smooth mahogany wood appeared first, and then it spilled out of the wrapping to reveal that it was the elegant back of a hand, whose fingers were gently cupping the top of a pair of downy wings. The wings were attached to the shoulders of a small, tiny little baby with wide, feminine eyes and a radiant face. Her head was tucked beneath her mother's chin; the mother was smiling and glancing at Ana out of the corner of her eye, a messy fringe falling across her cheek to frame the sparkling eyes.

It was so detailed, so smooth, so life-like that it was hard to believe it was real.

"It's beautiful," Ana breathed. I nodded mutely, and then she was launching herself away from me into Gabe's surprised arms. "Thank you, Daddy!"

He was pretty much squashed, but he somehow managed to wrap his arms around her and hold her tightly, smoothing her hair down her back between her wings. "No problem," he said rather gruffly, and I could have sworn he was blushing.

Ana shook her head. "Oh my gosh...My present's really pathetic now." She wiped her eyes, laughing. "I'm sorry. Thank you!"

He seemed to have no idea what was happening to him as she handed him her present. "Wha—you didn't—I mean--"

"Dude, just open it," Angelus said. "You're making a fool of yourself. Wait, you already were. Continue."

"Jerk."

"That's me!"

When Gabe unwrapped his present he was holding three books. A Book About Me, done by Ana, One of those Coke or Pepsi things, and a book with a plain cover, but I recognized it as one of Ana's favorites that she'd never let even me touch. She smiled at him. "Books...I don't know you that well either..."

Angelus groaned. "Like father, like daughter. Wouldn't you know, _they_ had the perfect gifts.."

"Let's see how well we did then, Dad." I snickered. "Open mine."

"You first," he said quickly. "Fang, your present's the white box, about this big—yeah, that one. Trin, yours is the black one, same size."

I raised my eyebrows at Fang, and then at Dad. "Only if you promise to open ours after," I said.

"Fine." He raised his hands in defeat. "Just open yours already."

"Opening," Fang drawled as he pulled off the plain white wrapping paper to reveal an uber exciting cardboard box. I ripped off the paper on mine and found an identical box. "Oh. My. God," Fang said. "This is the best present ever." Angel giggled; Angelus whapped Fang over the head. I cackled and used my finger to break the tape holding the box closed, and then shook it open.

"Thanks, Dad!" I said. "A Fang voo-doo-doll. Just what I needed."

"You better watch yourself, Trin," Max chided. "Fang has one of you." Fang reached over and knocked fists with her.

"But mine's cuter," I said flatly.

"Nuh-uh," Fang said.

"Uh-huh."

"Nuh-uh."

"Uh-huh."

"Ha, I win!"

Fang scowled at me and shoved our present to Dad. "Whatever Trin, we both know I'm the hotter twin anyway."

"Hot people get to be trapped in people's closets," I told him, and he glared at me.

"Boys," Dad said.

"What Dad?" I turned to grin at him. "_We _wouldn't give you a bomb."

"No, your mother did," Gabe snarked. "Two bombs, to be exact."

Fang and I leveled our glares at him. "Not helping."

Dad rolled his eyes and tugged the wrapping paper off his present, pausing to glare at us before he opened the lid. "If something jumps out to get me like a rabid squirrel or desert rat or something you're both grounded."

I smiled innocently, and Fang just watched as Dad pulled off the lid and looked inside. He pulled out the T-shirt that we'd draped, folded, on top of the tissue paper. Max face-palmed, and once it was explained to Iggy, he began chortling. "Dudes! That rocked!" He held out his fist and Fang and I knocked it with our own.

"Your mother is going to kill you two," Angelus said firmly as he folded the _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ shirt up and set it aside.

The statue we'd given Dad wasn't nearly as great as the one Gabe had given Ana or he one the others had given us--we hadn't realized statues would be so popular this year. Our statue was pretty crude. Just four rough figures of angels, two slightly smaller than the others, with one of the smaller ones darker than the others. It wasn't very big.

"You like? I think Buffy was better."

"That was my idea, by the way," I piped up. "Fang chose the statue."

"Hey! That's not true—"

"I love it."

Fang laughed and I elbowed Kate. "Alright. You wanna go next?" Gotta love the lack of ooey gooey stuff in our family.

Kate turned bright red, but she turned to—all our surprise—Dominic. I exchanged confused looks with Ana and KIX, but Kate ignored us and Jason was smiling. Dominic was even more surprised than we were, and he accepted the box and a hug gratefully but with a truly flabbergasted face.

He began laughing as soon as he opened the box. _"Pringles!"_

Seriously. Way too many Pringles. Goodness. He opened the box and dumped out _three_ smaller Pringles boxes. All in different flavors—original, sour cream 'n' onion, and original.

...Wow.

Dom hugged Kate tightly. "_You are my hero, Katie dearest!_

She grinned and patted his head. "Love you too," she said, and sat back down beside Jason.

Jason wasted no time in handing her his present. He smiled. "Now you open one."

"Okay," she said bashfully, and drew back into her hair as she looked down and set about opening it with the utmost care. Her hair was in the way, so I couldn't see what made her gasp so loudly—all I knew was that the box had been _tiny._ Hardly an inch wide or thick.

"Let me see!" KIX whined.

Kate held out her cupped hands to show us the small silver box, filled with cotton gauze upon which rested a tiny, heart-shaped gold locket. On the misty half of the heart were Jewelled roses; the other side was shiny and gold.

Jason also wasted no time in taking the little locke from her and flipping it open--revealing one of the pictures they had taken in the photo-booth that he'd told her hadn't turned out. He smiled at her. "What do you know...the stupid photo-booth actually worked."

I think that, despite him being pretty indestructible, Kate nearly choked him to death from hugging him so hard.

I was jolted from watching them when another present was thrown at me, and I couldn't tell who had thrown it. The package said from Fang, but he wasn't looking at me, too busy with his own present. Oh, please. Like everyone didn't know he didn't have an excellent poker face.

Nevertheless, I tore into the thin package, knowing it was some sort of clothing but not sure what it could be.

I groaned loudly. "Fang, really? That's the best you could do?" I held up the Big Bird PJ's. "I know you're more creative than that."

He was staring at me in horror. "Me? I didn't get you that. _You're_ the one who got me _this._" He tossed the giant black T-shirt with Elmo on the front. It hit me right in the face. "Geeze, Trin."

"What are you talking about?" I tossed Elmo back at him. "I didn't get you that."

He raised his eyebrows. "Max."

"What? It wasn't me!"

"Ana?"

Said Ana burst out in giggles. Fang rolled his eyes, smirking slightly. He was extremely amused, not that he'd show it. "Of course."

I nodded. "Should'a known."

"Yeah...but you'll get your real present later Trin." She smirked at Fang. "You'll get yours soon enough--its at the bottom of your pile o' presents anyway."

"Max's turn!" Angel said. She plopped a present on Max's lap. "It's from me! Open it first Max, please!"

Max was smiling as she pulled off the thin ribbon and began unwrapping. "Did you make it yourself, Angel?" she asked, still unwrapping.

Angel's face froze. "N-no..."

Max's grin didn't diminish any, if anything it got wider. "Then I really have no idea Ange. Any hint--oh!" Max hugged Angel tightly. "It's beautiful."

Angel blushed. "I'm glad you like it, Max," she said softly.

Max tried to open the locket—that was a small wing-encompassed silver circle, about half an inch big—but it was stuck. Angel seemed to panic for a moment. "No, no, it's got to open!" she pleaded, reaching over to try and open it. It still wouldn't budge.

We all took a crack at it, but it was no use. That little locket simply would not open. Angel looked like she was about o cry but Max hugged her again. "It's fine. It's perfect, sweetie."

"Why don't you tell her what's inside?" Nudge suggested.

Angel froze again. "No!" she exclaimed, then corrected herself. "It's not that important."

Max tugged on her curls. "It's fine Angel, really."

Angel nodded, and once everyone was assured that Angel really was fine, they turned away and continued on with gift giving. I found Angel suddenly beside me, jostled out of the way. She sniffed bravely.

I let her snuggle into my side as I kept opening my presents and as others handed her hers to open. When we were done we watched the others play with their remote control cars and wad the wrapping paper up and throw it at each other.

I didn't ask her if she was going to be alright. I had a hunch that she'd break down completely if I asked her. Instead, I kept silent.

But I had an uneasy feeling that I was going to regret it.


	37. Chapter 34: Gifts Part Two

Beth held the tray of cookies out of the younger kids' reach. "No! Enough already! Max'll kill me if I let you get even more of a sugar high!"

"Max won't be mad if we give her some cookies!"

"Real food before more sugar!"

"We want cookies! We want cookies!" they chanted.

Beth held the cookies higher. "Real food!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Nooooooo!"

"AH! Fine!"

"Don't give in!" KIX screamed, running by. "It's not worth it!"

Beth stole the cookies back just in time, holding them high over her head again. "Then save me already!"

"You holding on to that plate?"

"Yeah, why—KIX! Put me _down!"_

KIX waded through the mob of kids and set her down on the ladder. Then, he turned back to the mob and spread his arms across the doorway, blocking their way. "Beth! Run!"

She scrambled up the ladder and into the attic, and KIX looked up at her. "Keep it open, be ready to close it right away!" he called.

She nodded. "Ready!"

"Coming up!" He shimmied up the ladder and entered back-end first, grabbing the top of the ladder and pulling it up with him. The kids below stared at him in surprise, awe, and disappointment. He stuck his tongue out at them and Beth closed the attic doorway.

Beth sat the cookies down and sat on a sleeping bag, a big smile on her face. "Thanks for saving me—cookie?"

He took the cookie, eyed it, and then looked at her. He put the cookie back after a moment and then took the plate from her hands, putting it somewhere off to the side. "I'd rather have a fortune cookie, actually," he said, and glanced up. "Tell me you didn't sit there on purpose."

"What?" She frowned at him, oblivious.

He smiled and leaned forward, pressing her into the alcove and his lips to hers before pulling away and turning back to the cookies. "Mmm!" he said, taking a bite out of a 'poinsettia'. "Scrumptious!"

She shook her head, blushing, and reached over for a cookie of her own. Still oblivious as to why he was looking so happy, still clueless as to what was hanging over her head.

"How long do you think before it's safe to head back down?" Beth broke off a piece of her Christmas bell and ate it. "I don't want to be eaten by cookie monster kiddos."

"Don't know, don't care... Besides, it's warmer up here."

"If you say so..." Beth fidgeted. "So...now what?"

"You won't like my suggestions," KIX said, quite sure.

"How do you know I won't like your suggestions unless you suggest them?" Beth frowned and poked KIX.

His tail twitched, and then flopped over to begin swishing across the sleeping bag, back and forth. He smiled. "Just know."

She poked him again. "Hooooow?"

"I know you," he said. "How long now? A while. I know."

"Well _I _don't." She pouted, moving over to sit even closer to him and lean against him. "Tell meeeee...Please?"

He shrugged indulgently. "I want to sit here, under the mistletoe with you...forever. Never let you go. Ever. Told you you wouldn't like it."

Her mouth popped open and she blushed. She looked away. "No you wouldn't. I'd like it, but...no."

"Told you," he said softly. "And I agree. We should wait."

She sighed and snuggled against him, hiding her face in her hair. "Sorry."

"Don't be! I told you, I agreed. I just wanted to bait you into saying it so that I could say that I agreed. It's one of the things I like about you." A faint blush crossed his cheekbones. "I was too chicken to just say it."

She shifted, nestling into a more comfortable position, and he smiled to himself as he molded himself into a better pillow. After a while, she yawned. "What's next?"

* * *

"There he is!" Angel whispered. "Oh my goodness, there he _is!"_

Max laughed. "Yeah. You going to go get him or let him fall head over heels for you some more?"

"Max! I can't just _go over there!"_ Angel said, aghast.

"Why not?" Max frowned. "Do you want me to walk over there with you?

"NO!" Angel stared at Max in horror. Did this mean she had to go over there...alone? She most certainly did _not_ want Max there. But—there was no way...

"Hi!" Angel jumped as he appeared by her side and as he ducked his head, blushing. "Sorry."

"It's okay!" She found herself breathless again. "Hi!"

"Hi."

She giggled hysterically. "So."

"How are you?" he blurted. "Have you been alright?"

She nodded. "Yes. Very--how have you been?"

_Thinking about you,_ he thought, but he said, "Good. Cold."

She blushed and held out her present. "I hope you like it, it's warm....It's not nearly as beautiful as the flower you gave me though."

"Wait, what?" He stared at the box. She shook it, and he took it carefully. "You got me a-a present?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Open it."

Damien blinked, brushed his hair out of his face, and then set about ripping open the flimsy cardboard. He found a plain red jacket--it almost matched Angel's cheeks, and looked very warm. Angel bit her lip. "You like it?"

He nodded vigorously and began pulling it on. His fingers were too cold, however, to properly button the buttons or pull up the zipper. She reached over and did them for him, and then she took his hands and began rubbing them. "You're so cold," she accused. "You really should wear it a lot."

"I will!" he promised, and smiled. They shared a long look before he suddenly hugged her. "You're warm too. Maybe we should just stay here forever!"

Max cleared her throat and pulled them away so she could make a face at Angel and smile at Damien as she handed him a pair of matching gloves. "These are for you, too. I think she forgot to wrap them."

He pulled them on and wiggled his fingers; they were half-fingered gloves, so that he could feel and touch things and pick things up. The coat and the jacket were both a bit too big, so he'd have room to grow into them. He tugged the gloves on tighter, and then slipped his hand back into Angel's. "Thanks," he said.

Angel giggled. "You look _dashing."_

"What's that?"

She giggled again and squeezed his hand. "Perfect. That's what it means."

_Angel. _Max made a point of melting into the background. _Look _up, _you little stinker._

Angel looked up, bewildered, and then gasped. Damien looked up as well and his eyes grew as wide as saucers. "Big _brother_, you suck!" he shrieked, his face burning as red as his coat. He was afraid that Angel would think him piggish if he kissed her.

Angel wouldn't have. She spun him back around and leaned up. From behind Damien's back, his brother saw Angel give him a thumbs up. He grinned.

Timidly Damien gave her a quick kiss, blushing so hard even his ears turned pink. She responded gently, and then rocked back from where she'd been on tip-toes.

"Thanks," she said. "Merry Christmas."

* * *

Jason pulled his upper body up onto the roof, his fingers digging into the wet moss. He swung a leg up and, ignoring the wet carpet of moss and leaves that was rapidly soaking and staining the knees of his jeans. He could see the red banner up above him on the neighbor's roof, just about six feet higher from where he was now, but just a few feet off the top of the sloping roof of Sable's house. Her feet, bare and splattered with mud, were resting on Sable's roof while she sat on the neighbor's.

He began climbing again.

"You look cold," she teased.

"So do your feet," he replied. "You're insane."

"For what, coming out in the rain in December, bare foot—or sitting on a rooftop, waiting for squirrels to attack?"

"I was going to say the former, but now that you mention the squirrels..." He made a point of glancing around warily before smiling at her. "What are you doing here?"

"Thinking about my last boyfriend," she said.

His face didn't betray his worry, but she could see it in the way that he sat down beside her feet so stiffly, so mechanically. "Oh yeah? Who was it?"

"Think. My _last boyfriend."_

"Um... Dom?"

"No!"

"You had more than just Dom?"

"Yup. One more."

"Who was it, Kate?"

She laughed at him. "You, silly."

He was still frowning, not getting it. "Last? But I thought we were still..."

She shrugged. "But at this point, I don't see us breaking up. So therefore, if you think about it, you're not really my boyfriend. And besides. You're more than my boyfriend. You're my soul mate."

"Oh..." He thought about it, then smiled slowly. He stood up and leaned over to give her a peck on the cheek. "That's good then, Katie."

"Of course," she replied, and nudged him with a wet foot. "I just hope it'll keep the squirrels away."

"...Maybe we can convince Fang they're deformed desert rats and get him to eat them."

"Not gonna work!" Fang shouted from beneath them somewhere.

"Darn."

"I think Mr. Ninja would notice that."

"If someone mentions ninjas one more time, I swear--"

Fang was cut off abruptly, and there was silence for a very long time. Kate coughed to hide a giggle. Jason rolled his eyes.

"Where did you come from _Ninja?"_

Kate blinked and looked over her shoulder to find Fang standing behind them, arms crossed. "Max told me to tell you that if you don't stop making fun of me, she'll ground both of you. And Ana agrees." He continued to glare at them.

"Fine, spoilsport. Gosh."

"...If we offered them cookies, would we still be able to make fun of you?"

"No!" Max shouted. "Because we have control of the kitchen."

"...Darn."

Kate shrugged. "Fine. We'll stop picking on you for now...if you leave. Real fast. This is supposed to be _our _time."

"Same with Max and I. Now stop interrupting it." He jumped off the roof and went back inside.

They made faces at Fang's retreating back and Kate tucked her flaming hair back behind her ear. "We wouldn't have to pick on them if they didn't make it so fun..."

"Like what?"

"Like you have pretty eyes." He smirked. "It's corny, but true."

* * *

Iggy snuck up behind Ella and leaned over her, wrapping his arms around her and holding out a chocolate ice cream cone. "Merry Christmas."

She giggled and took it from him. "Jeez, Igs. This beats your present."

"Nah, sweaters are cool—as long as Gazzy didn't trick me into wearing one of Nudge's. I'm not, am I?"

"No, you're still my lovable vanilla ice cream, Iggy."

He snickered, stealing a lick of her ice cream. "Does it taste better than me?" he asked.

"Sadly…yes."

Iggy was devastated. His jaw dropped. "What?"

She laughed and kissed his cheek. "Oh, you know I'm joking."

"Do you want me to get the mistletoe?"

"Max!" Ella glared at her sister. Max just rolled her eyes.

"What? Don't come visit me if you don't want to be interrupted—did you open your present from me yet?"

Ella was just as good as Max at rolling her eyes. "Yes, oh great big sister. And yes, I'll watch the movie with you later. I need someone to explain it to me."

Iggy groaned. "Don't tell me it's Elric."

"Okay, then I won't tell you. Iggy, it's Fullmetal."

"Edward! Totally owns Mr. Sparkles."

"Totally!"

Iggy scowled at her. "_Max! _Moment? Just because you and Fang haven't had yours yet--"

"Shut it Iggy unless you want to die."

"Shutting." He held up his hands. "But please? I promise I'll keep my hands to myself..."

"..." Max gave Ella a, _You better make him keep that promise,_ kind of glare and turned heel. "I'll be in Sable's parents' room with Fang. 'America's Funniest Home Videos' is on—as soon as it's over, we're watching the movie."

Iggy heave a sigh of relief after she left. "Thank goodness, I always think she's going to bite my head off when I'm with you..." He grinned. "But it's worth it. You're more than worth it."

Ella beamed. "Thanks, Iggy," she said, giving him a tight, one-armed hug. "I needed to hear that."

"Didn't your mom ever tell you that? Anyone?"

Ella shook her head. "Mom's not really touchy-feel-y anymore... Her friends all say she used to be, and around them, she's really awesome. You seen her around Max? She's never been like that around me. I don't know why, but I just think that she didn't want me."

"I don't see how that's possible," Iggy said flatly. "Maybe you just haven't heard it. But there is no way they could _not _want _you._"

Ella shook her head. "That's nice to hear, but you don't get it." She kissed him. "But it's enough. It's really sweet."

"Absolutely right I don't get it!" he agreed. "This is like, child abuse! Seriously!" He turned to her and looked somewhere between her nose and her left eyebrow. "I hereby promise that I will tell you how much you're worth every day of your life."

She smiled. "You can't do that."

"You're right!" He seemed shocked.

"Of course I am."

"Because no human mind could grasp how much you're wanted. No words can ever describe it. Ever." He nodded, his streaked hair flopping about his face, and his blind eyes scrunched up as he grinned at her. "Really, Ella. I mean it."

She shook her head and kissed him again. "You're lovely, you know that?"

In response, he set down the ice cream in a cup somewhere behind him, and then captured her lips again. She threw her arms around his neck and became lost in the tangle of sweet smelling hair and smoldering lips...

He let her go to breathe, and his lips trailed across her cheek to her ear. "I'm going to tell you it every day, every moment, until you believe me. You know that, right?"

Inside that promise was another, unspoken, but she knew it.

"And I'll never believe you," she promised in reply. "So you'll never be able to leave."

It sounded like a deal.

* * *

Fang and Max stayed in Sable's room after the movie; Iggy and Ella left as soon as it ended. Max was leaning against Fang when she asked, "Superman or Batman?"

"As long as it's not _Dark Knight_, Batman all the way."

"You know Batman is just a crazy rich old guy that runs around in tights with some poor messed up kid? But when you're rich and crazy, it's called eccentric, so he's an eccentric old guy running around in tights with the boy wonder."

"You know... That sounds really bad."

"Well he doesn't have any powers. Just money."

"But that's kind of like us."

"Except we have--"

"Only Angel's on par with Superman."

"We have wings? That's gotta count for something. And Angel's with us, so therefore we get more brownie points. And we're not insane. Except for Catlyn, but she's the exception and only when it comes to duct tape. So, we totally beat Batman."

"But I don't like Superman. I mean, look at 'Smallville'. Blech."

"Fine. We're better than Superman then. But there is no way Batman is better than Superman. Batman is worse. And what is with the _tights?"_

"They're easier to fight in than jeans, I guess. I mean, jeans are pretty hard to run in alone... And Superman wears tights, too."

"Fang, do _you_ want to wear tights? Is there something you're not telling me? Because, you know, as your girlfriend I think I deserve to know if you swing both ways..."

"...Next you're going to be suggesting twincest."

"I was thinking Figgy, but since you brought up the twincest... I'm sorry, Fang, but I don't think Trin would be into that."

"Max!"

"Fang!" she mimicked.

He moaned and hid his face behind a pillow.

She lay down beside him and played with his hair. "Oh, come on. It's not that bad...even though I'm not sure Iggy would be into it, either. You're just outta luck, Fang—and Ella might kill you anyway if that wasn't the case..."

He twitched a wing and seemed to ignore her.

"And, you've always got me."

The pillow lowered and he peered at her carefully. "Really?"

"Oh wait, you're not going to pull that on me, you sexist p--"

He smacked her with the pillow, and then pinned her down with it, cackling. For a moment, she thought that maybe Beta'd gotten out...

And then he started tickling her.

"GAH! Fang! Stop!"

"I'm straight, alright? You hear me?"

"I-haha!-I-hear-ha—gack! Haha!"

When he finally stopped tickling her, she was gasping for breath. He snickered. "Will you be a good Christmas angel now?"

"Yes! Yes already!" She giggled breathlessly.

He smiled and lay back down, slipping his arms around her and nuzzling his face into her neck. "Then stop picking on me. Between jokes about my sexuality and ninja origins, I'm never going to get any rest..."

"Maybe I don't want you to rest." She smiled. "Maybe I like how you react."

His breath was hot against her collarbone as he finally found a comfortable spot, his ear placed above hear heart, his nose pointing towards her neck. His eyelashes tickled her exposed skin a bit, and he tightened his hold on her. "That sounded surprisingly dirty, Max," he noted in a warm, slightly slurred voice. "Who's the sexist pig now?"

"Only guys can be sexist pigs," she said. "Girls are always right."

"Of course. Feminism."

"Of course. It works."

"It's going to be the death of society."

She ran her fingers across his back, stroking his dark feathers and smoothing out some of the bent ones. "We'll just have to rebuild it, then," she said. "You and me. Together."

"You're the one s'posed to save the world, Maximum Ride."

"Psh. I can't do it alone."

He tightened his grip on her, and she could feel him smile against her shirt. "I'll always be there. Right where you want me."

_"Now_ who's the dirty one?"

* * *

Dom peered around the Christmas tree that hid the desktop from view, and, seeing that the coast was clear, he ducked down and pressed the power button. He cringed when the computer beeped in reply, but no one noticed and he soon relaxed a bit. He chose to start up on Ubuntu and then waited for the log in screen, and soon he was logged onto his account and starting up Firefox, and then going to his email, and waiting for instant message to load--

She was there.

Dom: _Miss you._

Holly: _I told you not to._

Dom: _But I still do._

Holly: _I miss you too._

Dom: _How are things?_

Holly: _Fine. How's Sabes?_

Dom: _Alright. She's_

Dom: _Hold on. Someone's coming._

Holly: _K_

Dom: _Nevermind, just Angel._

Holly: _How's she?_

Dom: _Um. She's alright._

Angel gave him a mental jab from across the room. He winced.

Holly: _What's wrong?_

Dom: _Nothing. Nevermind, really._

"_Ow!"_ He shot a glare at Angel.

Holly: _Don't lie to me. Did she see something disturbing? Or did she hear you being emo again?_

Holly: _Please tell me you're not being emo._

Dom: _I'm never emo._

Dom: _But I don't know. Something's off. It's nothing, Holls._

Holly: _Last time something was 'off'..._

Dominic sucked in his breath and let it out in a whistle.

Dom: _Yeah, I remember. This... I just have a bad feeling about someone dying. I don't know who—I __just don't want it to be you. You can't die._

For a moment, she didn't reply.

Finally,

Holly: _I'll be fine, Dom. I'm coming home in two days. Meet me by 7-11 at 5AM then, alright?_

Dom: _I'll be there at four._

Dom: _You're so sweet, but really I won't be there until 5. Don't overreach yourself. I want you awake when I see you._

Dom: _Four._

Dom: _I'll be awke. I promise._

Dom: _*awake_

Holly: _Poor thing, you're falling asleep right now... Heh._

Dom: _My eyes are rolling._

Holly: _Right across the floor._

Dom: _And out the door._

"Dooom, where are you? I'm bored and—who ya talkin' to?"

Catlyn found him, took one look at the screen, and grinned. "Oh. Tell Holly I say hi!"

Dom: _Catlyn says hi._

"Not _hi._ Hi!"

Dom: _Catlyn says "HI!"_ not _hi._

"Much better."

Holly: _Hey, Catlyn. 'Sup._

"Ceiling!"

Dom: _Ceiling, says Catlyn._

Holly: _Mhm! Love it._

"She loves the ceiling? Dom, I think you have some competition."

Dom: _Catlyn thinks I have some competition in the form of a lovable ceiling._

Holly: _Yeah, well the ceiling doesn't love me. And it's even taller than you. You can bend, at least. The ceiling, not so much._

Dom: _I feel _so_ loved. I need a hug. And Catlyn has cooties._

"Hey!"

Dom: _Can I have a hug?_

"Say please."

Dom: _Pretty please?_

"Nice!"

"_Backseat driver," _Dom accused, and then turned back to the screen once he realized that Catlyn couldn't understand him.

Holly: _*huggles* I can't wait to do that in real life._

Dom: :) _I feel better._

Holly: _If that's good—just wait until I get home._

Dom: _I can't. There is no way I can wait. I miss you so much._

"D'awww. You guys are so cute."

"_Catlyn!"_

* * *

"Sable, Nudge? You seen Angel and Catlyn?"

Nudge looked at Gazzy, who was looking a bit forlorn. "No, why?"

"They ditched me. Iggy's making out with Ella, and Fang's asleep with Max in Sable's room, and Trin and Ana are out flying, and so are Gabe and Angelus, 'cept in the other direction, and Kate and Jason are on the roof, and KIX and Beth are in the attic. I don't know where anyone else is. I don't even know if that's it! I think I'm going insane!"

Sable clapped. "Loved the voice, Gazzy! Who was it?"

He beamed. "No idea, one of those old guys from the black-and-white movies you guys were watching the other day."

"Cool!"

"But still, d'ya know where Angel and Catlyn are?"

"Nope." The girls shook their heads again.

Gazzy's face fell. "Alright then... I guess I'll go outside. Can I play in the mud?"

"Sure," Sable said. "Just watch out for worms, and don't get hypothermia. Or pneumonia."

"I'll get the raincoat!" Gazzy withdrew from the room.

Nudge smiled to herself and went back to her book. She and Sable had been talking earlier, but then both had settled for reading once the rain started up and things had begun to quiet down. Sable had a laptop beside her, monitoring the blog feeds and email and such, but there hadn't been a single _ping_ for the past hour and a half.

The room was warm, and Nudge had created a nest-like mass of heavy blankets and thick pillows on the bed she was on. She'd dozed off a few times, and it was an absolutely wonderful place to be. This was what she'd always wanted, what she'd always imagined her parents' house would be like... She thought about it and smiled, and snuggled closer to the pillows, spreading her wings out and fluffing her feathers to keep in more heated air.

And then, she shivered. Her feathers, which had been fluffed, now stiffened and raised in anxiety, bristling against her shirt uncomfortably. Her hair stood on end, and she rubbed her arms; she was covered in goosebumps.

"Alex!" Sable squeaked, and Nudge bolted upright, her chest tightening with something like fear. Was something wrong? Who was Al...ex...

_Whoa._

Alex was balanced on the windowsill, smiling crookedly. "Hey."

Nudge felt her cheeks reddening and thanked goodness that she had dark skin. "Alex, what are you doing here? Last I heard you ran away from Em's, you ungrateful feline," Sable said lightly.

"I don't really know, Sabes." His smile became a smirk. "I've been hearing things, you know the drill..." The way he spoke, the words lilting as they rolled off his tongue...! "But then again, I did like your company."

Sable rolled her eyes. "Well then, come in and bask in my presence—closing the window behind you and staying _away_ from me while you're soaking wet. You look terrible."

Nudge wasn't so sure about that. Alex's hair was deep, dark red-brown from the rain, with darker streaks in it that came faintly onto his skin at the base of his jawline. His irises were a beautiful, luminous, _feline_ yellow, with pupils that had been dilated from their previous slits as he drew into the room and closed the window, drawing the blinds closed after him as well.

He was now crossing the room with long, lazy, calculated strides to the lamp, which he turned on with a twist of his wide, and flat palms, and a snap of his elegant wrist; his fingers were long and thin, and his knuckles were heavily scarred. The backs of his hands looked delightfully smooth and looked like satin from the reflection of the water on his skin... She wanted to stroke it, hold it against her own...

And best of all, in Nudge's opinion, was the fact that he had peeled off his hoodie to reveal a completely useless white shirt that had been seemingly glued to his_ very,_ hot, sculpted torso.

Nudge clenched her muscles to keep from shaking, and forced herself to take a breath. In her head, she could only process four words: _Oh my freaking crap._

He seemed to have yet to notice her as he kept teasing Sable. "Oh, come on, I'm not that wet. Can I sit by you? I'm sure you're just dying to be a mermaid."

"Don't cats eat fish?"

"Beside the point."

"And then, I'm also wearing a white shirt."

"So am I." He winked roguishly and laughed at her blush. "Just joking, of course, as word of your little _Romeo and Juliet_ affair has reached all levels of the ITEX line, especially in Europe. So juicy."

Sable started. "Any news on Luce?"

Alex shook his head. "No. Not a word. There's a rumor that he's in isolation, and that they're planning on leaving him there until he dies or learns his lesson. But you know how rumors are; especially with ITEX. Don't believe a word. There's also a rumor to counteract that one, that it was all a lie and you've been duped and he's living it up in Hawaii with some babe for all of his terrible work, and is in charge of a blood bank on top of that." Alex shook his head. "Just rumors, no facts. But the fact that something was going down..."

"What was that something?"

"This would be a great time for me to notice the chick in the corner, wouldn't it?" Alex mused.

It took Nudge a moment to realize he was talking about her. "Hi," she managed smoothly.

He turned his eyes to her, and his smile turned down a little at the edges. It wasn't a frown, it was just...awe? Whatever it was, it was gone in a few instants and he was smiling again, his nostrils flaring and his rather elongated canines revealed. "Yo," he said charmingly.

Nudge nodded, somehow managing to keep a calm face. "I'm Nudge. What's up?"

"Nothing much at the moment," he said. "I'm surprised that I didn't notice you earlier. You were mighty quiet back there."

She felt her cheeks being scalded with indignation and shame. Of course he'd think she just talked and talked and talked... Alex seemed to realize his mistake, as he suavely moved on, saying, "But of course, now I realize that it was all just a ploy to make me fall in love with such a beautiful voice. If you'd been chattering at first, I would have tuned you out. But as it is, I find myself hooked on your every word." He winked.

"Mhm, sure." She attempted to keep the blush to a minimum and returned to her book, even if reading it was just a façade to help her not only maintain her sanity, but to help her keep her cool. "Tell me when something interesting happens."

Alex stared at her in a mix of frustration and amusement, with Sable struggling to keep from guffawing in the background. "Come on, Alex," she prodded. "Stop being such a womaniser and get back to telling me that rumor."

"Well, my colleagues in Europe are telling me that the Superiors are planning on taking over the United States sooner or later," he said, turning back to her, not smiling any more. "They say that taking over health-care will be just the beginning."

Sable blinked. "But the President's not--"

"Oh, the _President_ isn't ITEX related at all. I doubt he's even heard of _Maximum Ride._ But some of his people... And high-rise senators... You know them, the ones from back when Ana and Trinity were being auctioned at the University. It's just a matter of time. But again, no facts."

Nudge blinked, frowning. "Auctioned?"

"What every one of us New Generation were created for, in a way," Alex explained. "Sold to be the sex slaves of science and terror to the highest bidder. Trinity and Ana _met_ while at a preliminary viewing: A bunch of crusty old senators came in, and Trinity and Ana were put in bullet proof boxes on display for the political goons to look over and decide if they perhaps wanted to buy the Alpha, Beta, Omega and Mates collection as weapons and playthings. Things like that. And the people who'd be interested in that sort of thing are still in power."

Nudge frowned. "Goes to show what state the world is in..." She sighed. "Alright. Nothing new then, just a new word. Carry on."

Alex's fingers dug into the wall he was leaning against in annoyance. He wasn't used to being passed off or ignored. But, he had a job to do. He turned his gaze back to Sable. "And that's about it, so far. I was chased out of Germany by that panther girl—what's her name, something silly. She gave me a nasty scratch."

Sable jumped up. "Where?"

He turned around to show her his back, and she laughed.

"She carved it into your back."

"What'd she write?"

"_'I thought I saw a pussy-cat'."_

He grimaced. "Great. Now I'm going to have that stupid phrase... Well, I would have come sooner, only I didn't realize you were keeping such interesting things like this beauty from me, rather than some boy." He went to sit by Nudge, not willing to give up his efforts; his shirt was still revealing his body and making it very hard for her to concentrate, though she did her best to."I've met you, darling, isn't that interesting enough? Are you not the most interesting being in this room? You are such an angel, it is hardly fitting to call you human and put you on the same level as myself and others, as you are so obviously above..."

Nudge held up her book again. "Sable, I think he's forgotten about you. Best to keep him on track."

He scowled again, standing and going back over to Sable. "See? Already that stupid scratch is ruining my image. I'm a pussy-cat now... Oh, the same."

"You always did have a big ego, Alex. Maybe this will do you some good." Sable shook her head. "I'll go get the bandages... You going to behave?"

Alex winced. "I'm wounded."

"You'll be _crippled_ if you don't." Sable gave him a short Look before departing.

He sank down to sit on the floor, the look of a pouting little kid on his face rather than a suave Mr. Pussy Cat, but soon he was up again and sitting by Nudge, another smile plastered on his face, this one softer, confused, and still_ very_ hot. "Why do you react to me so? Is me ego really that bad? I'm sorry, angel, Nudge... I'll try not to be a bad Pussy Cat..."

Sable came back and glared at him. "Knock it off."

"What?"

"Nudge, you might want to leave."

No, she did _not._ "Nah. I'll enjoy watching Mr. Ego-Head get deflated a bit." She didn't look up from her book as Sable dragged Alex off the bed and had him take off his shirt. It made a sucking, splatting sound on the floor as it joined his jacket; she could see the blood stains on the white fabric, watered down... A loud yelp and then a hiss and then a low, trembling whimper brought her eyes snapping back to the floor, where Alex had his hand braced on the wall and his back arched against Sable's hand; she was wiping his back off with a cloth that was damp with something that probably stung a lot.

There was something hot about watching him in mortal agony, too.

She was really messed up. She looked back at her book.

When they were done and he was bandaged up, he bowed and kissed her hand. "Thank you, fine Juliet. I wish you and your Romeo well." He scooped up the extra bandages and his shirt and jacket. "It's probably best not to leave these laying around, I'll put them away real quick and let the others know I'm here—Do you have room for one more, Sable, or do you want me to stay elsewhere?"

Nudge looked up at Sable, pleading with her eyes, _Let him stay! Let him stay! At least let him stay close!_

Nudge bit her lip. Flying distance? Oh, come on, he was _hot!_

"Sorry, I've got no room at the inn," Sable said without remorse. "However, the usual place down the road is open."

"Oh goody! The lobby girl always has that box of peppermints out on the counter. I think I'll go steal one and set up my room... I'll be back in a cat nap, how's that sound?" For the first time, Nudge saw the slight circles under his eyes, and wondered what his story was. He'd been to Europe, and Germany, and encountered a panther girl. What had he been doing? She wanted to hear, and was glad he'd be back soon. Secretly, of course. She couldn't show that she liked him. If she did...!

As he headed to the doorway to head into the hall, she muttered, "Good riddance," in as audible a mutter as she could.

Angel appeared in the doorway. _"Finally!_ It's your turn!"

"Angel!"


	38. Chapter 35: Sick

_**A/N (for this and the last...two chapters, I think): **__Things have been tough, lately. School's busy, there have been social issues, and you'll have to excuse us for wanting to take a bit of a break while we try to get our lives back on track. Speaking mostly for myself, and hinting towards D. Please pray for us/encourage us. Telling us that you like what we're doing, taking guesses at future events, constructive criticism--all these are good ways to lift our spirits.  
_

_There's a bit more foreshadowing in this chapter, but I doubt anyone will catch it until everything plays out in the end... Heh. The Voice makes an appearance; sorry if he's OOC, but I'm taking a few liberties and basing him off of someone I know. This is a huge hint to anyone who knows me [Insert a maniacal laugh here.] and this is a huge, huge thing for the future. [Another laugh.]_

_Oh--mid-way through writing this I remembered that most of the geese wouldn't be at Shoreline at that time of year, but then I decided that hey, if I could step in goose poo in December, there had to be something making it.  
_

* * *

Gabe dipped his wing in a cloud, flying just ahead of his friend before falling back so they flew side by side, touching wing tip to wing tip on every stroke in the brotherly way they'd had for ages, back when they were thinking, before the girls had come and entered their lives. Not that they were complaining. Gabe was shaking his head. "They're so big...we missed out on so much."

"Really makes you look at yourself, doesn't it," Angelus agreed. "I feel so old. And I look it! Gone are my dashing good looks and voice. Trinity has it all now, with a bit of his mother... I can't imagine what she looks like now. You?"

"Same here, I can't... I don't really want to."

"I know what you mean."

Gabe was frustrated. "I feel guilty about it. I wonder if she'll look anything like she used to, if she'll still be my _Gwen_, or if she'll have been so altered by ITEX that she's nothing like her... I just don't know. I'm afraid."

"I know." They were silent for a long while before Angelus began speaking again. "And just think... Not long now, and we'll be grandparents! At least your name is remembered in theirs, Gabriel. I seem to be outranked by my own son."

Gabe snorted. "Just wait. The next time it'll be Angelus, or Angelica, or Angelo..."

"Lemonjello or Orangejello..." Angelus rolled his eyes. "Yes, I know I should stop complaining."

"Nah... You know, soon as they're married, the twins are going to be having little brothers and sisters popping up all over the place. Maybe they'll have quadruplets next. You know, doubling?" Gabriel shuddered good-naturedly at the thought.

Angelus groaned. "That'd be a horror. Can you imagine mini-Fangs and Trinities and Anas? That's just... I'm going to have nightmares now."

Gabriel smiled slightly and reached up to adjust his hood, pushing his bangs down to shield his eyes from the spray of rain that was being splattered against his face. "And we've still got years left on us. A lot of years. By God, if Gwen were here, I could have _another_ child on the way right now, and it wouldn't be odd. Think of that! It's so... I don't know. I don't want to think about it."

"I know what you mean." Angelus swerved to the side and spun, simply because he could, before he rejoined his friend. "I'm amazed they hit it off so well, regardless. My son and your daughter...who would have guessed that? Or that they'd meet up and form a group all on their own? It's amazing, if you think about it. Of all the possibilities, our kin stay together. Even if ITEX interfered, it still amazes me. They can't control the love that binds us after all."

"Cornball."

Nevertheless, Gabriel and Angelus knocked fists.

"Where do you think I learned it?"

* * *

There was a laugh as he reached down to steady her flight; previously, she'd been wobbling terrifically, almost as if she were waddling through the air. It was highly impossible, but that's what it had looked like to him. He was laughing still as she straightened out and flew a bit lower to go a little easier on her wings.

"Want to land?" he asked.

"No," she said stubbornly.

"Walking isn't so bad, Ana. By the time we get their, the sunset will be spectacular."

"We'd be walking through goose-poop, Trin. At low tide. I don't wanna do that."

"I don't want you to strain yourself."

She blew a chunk of hair out of her eyes. "I'll be fine, Trin. I'm pregnant, not handicapped."

He held up his hands helplessly. "How should I know? That's a rhetorical question, by the way."

"That wasn't a question. That was a statement."

"Whatever."

"Shut up before you hurt yourself."

"Good idea—duck!"

Ana groaned. "Four of them, you cornball." As they went, she gradually began to wobble more and more and finally she huffed. "Trin?"

"Yeah?"

"I think walking is a good idea."

"Goose poop it is, then. Landing gears down?"

"Cornball."

"But a lovable cornball, right?"

Ana rolled her eyes. "Walking through goose poop for you—yes, you're lovable."

He laughed, and stumbled a bit as his feet hit the waving yellow grass. He caught her arm as she landed and nearly fell on her face. "Getting a bit too familiar with that snail down there, aren't we, darling? Should I worry about our engagement?"

She shook her head in exasperation. "If you keep at it there will be no engagement. Just a funeral."

He slipped his hand into hers and began pulling her through the rustling grass. "Watch out for the mud here," he called back over his shoulder. "And watch out for that gopher hole."

"Are we almost at the bri—Aagh, low-_tide_ indeed! Ugh!"

Trinity made a gagging sound, but continued on. "Almost at the bridge." They ran the last stretch to the red-metal bridge and slowed to a trot as they came to the well worn path to the Rengstorff House. There was a good crowd gathered in the House's backyard, dancing around on the outdoor floor, and examining the taxidermy'd owls and other creatures on the grass inside the white picket fence.

Trinity led Ana around the fence to the grass, where, hidden by trees the shore lurked. They could hear the laughter and voices and the faint sound of the waves already. "Want to get some soda?" Trinity asked.

"Sure."

"I'll be right back. You wanna find a spot?"

Ana smiled and nodded and watched as he walked off towards the side walk to the bar, where sodas were on display. "Get me one of those Classic Cokes, Trin!"

He waved at her, and she trudged across the grass, around the weeping willows...

She could feel the sun's warmth as it smoothed across her skin in pink and orange glows. The light on the water, too, seemed like liquid fire that would be warm to the touch (although she knew better, as it was December and had just gotten through raining.

Aforementioned rain-clouds were dark and brown, drawing back over the San Francisco Bay and moving farther inland. Ana could literally see the rain falling over the air force base and the mountains, and maybe in the distance San Francisco, even... The contrast of the darkness behind her and the encroaching brightness of sunset, with the fog rolling in on majestic waves over the hills _in front_ of her reminded her of so many things that it was hard to count. Most prominently in her memories was the first sunset she'd ever seen, the evening after Trinity had led their escape from ITEX.

She found a rather dry, goose-poop-free area on the grass and turned around to wait for Trinity, looking into the wind and letting its cold breath push her hair about her face. Her arms rested comfortably on her slightly swollen abdomen, and a smile was plastered on her face as she saw Trinity coming back, two glass bottles of Coke in hand as well as a can of Dr. Pepper. The thick picnic blanket was draped over his shoulder, and in the backpack over his wings were more blankets and an extra jacket.

It was going to be the perfect evening.

They spread out the blanket and sat down the backpack beside them as they nestled together. Trinity handed her a Coke. "You comfortable?"

"Yes, thank you. Sorry I was such a grouch."

"It's fine." He smiled benevolently and she squeezed his fingers.

"Could you open this?" she asked, giving the Coke bottle a little jiggle.

"Well, since it's a Coke and not a pickle jar..." He grasped the bottle cap, made sure she had the bottle itself in a strong grip, and then twisted. His palm came away a bit raw and lined, but the cap was off and a soft smoky substance was streaming out of the top. Ana smiled and kissed him and then took a long gulp.

"Mm!"

"Remember the first one of these you had? You were shocked that they still made the bottles."

"I mean, really. The cans are much better. But these things are just _so cool!"_

"Not nearly as cool as you though." He rubbed her arm before reaching into the backpack for a blanket, and wrapped it around them. "I want you as cozy as possible."

She smiled innocently and 'accidentally on purpose' brushed the cold bottle against his arm. The following yelp incited a hysterical laugh from her, and a betrayed pout from him.

"Oh, come on, it wasn't that bad." She blinked up at him and fluttered her lashes.

"Yes it was."

"Will you forgive me?"

"I don't know…actions speak louder than words."

"I brought you here. It's your Christmas present."

"Hm…does that count?" He pulled her closer and smiled roguishly, her smile matched his.

"I'm having your _children."_

"Yes, but a sunset kiss would make me feel much better. You were so mean to me…"

"Cornball." She kissed him anyway. There was a soft, "Awww," in the background, but when they broke away they couldn't tell what bystander it had been. Trinity leaned his head on Ana's shoulder and wrapped an arm around her waist; the other held his own bottle of soda.

"Ana?" he asked eventually.

"What's up?"

"...Nevermind." Trinity shook his head. "I forgot."

She wriggled around in his arms so that she'd have a better view of the sunset as it began to dip below the horizon. "Isn't that what Hollywood sunset romance kisses are supposed to do to you?"

"True. So this is Hollywood? Where are the cameras?"

"And the crazy director."

"And the ax-crazy mass murderer that's supposed to ruin the moment?"

Ana poked him. "Stop ruining the moment."

"Maybe this is a fanfiction then," he mused. "Very fluffy."

"I'm the one supplying all the fluff," she said. "You keep ruining it. You're a very inflexible character."

He rolled his eyes. "I thought you were being the grouch."

"I'm so awesome, I can do both."

"And you're not conceited at all."

"Nope, I'm just stating a fact…"

"Just let me think I'm awesome for a moment, alright? It is my Christmas present after all."

"No one said you weren't awesome."

"You have a point there."

"Yes…and even if it was implied, then that's wrong." She grinned at him. "You're more than awesome."

"I'm glad you think so, Santana."

"Of course I do. It's the effect you have on people."

"No. It's what you do to me."

Just then, the sky went on fire. The sun had reached the very edge of the fog and was sinking below now, fast, setting the world ablaze. Gasps and whistles sounded out from the other picnickers around them, and murmurs rose up as well, commenting on the beauty of it all.

Ana leaned against Trin. "It's beautiful."

He smiled, and wrapped his arms around her stomach. He could think of something much more beautiful.

* * *

"Oi! Gazzy, where are you?"

"Out here!" he shouted back, and then made a particularly loud _smack!_ as he brought his palm down flat on the top of the mud pie. It made a sucking sound as he pulled it out.

Catlyn rushed off to get her raincoat and join him. As it was when she finally came out he still didn't realize she was there, and she had a good glob of mud in her hands. She took aim…and _SPLAT!_ The look on his face was priceless.

"Oh no you didn't!" he squealed, and picked up his mud pie.

Catlyn's eyes narrowed, and she crouched down—both to look cool, and to grab some more mud. Just as Gazzy threw the pie at her face, she launched her grassy, squelchy mud at him. The collisions were epic, and in Gazzy's opinion, so worth it.

"OH MY FREAKING GOODNESS THERE'S A WORM IN HERE!"

He laughed maniacally.

Catlyn immediately grabbed the worm along with a handful of mud and stuck it on his head, dancing away and cackling. "Worm head!"

"Arghhhh, it's eatin' me brains!" he roared in a zombie voice, then he paused to think. "You know, I wonder how the zombies like getting _their_ brains eaten. Do zombies eat each others' brains? Does Sylar eat brains? Or do they all just let the worms do the job?"

Catlyn shrugged and came over to pluck the worm off of his head. "Well if it's a brain eater we better let it go, you'd starve it."

"Hey!" Gazzy grabbed the worm again and put it back on his head. "It will _not_ starve. Besides, it is a very fashionable hat."

"I bet you Nudge won't think it's fashionable." Catlyn grinned.

"But _she's_ not a boy. Or bat-shit crazy."

"Gazzy!"

"What?"

Catlyn put her muddy hands on her hips and glared at him. "I am not crazy and that is a bad word."

He blinked at her. "Sorry," he said, in a not-at-all-sorry voice.

She pouted. "Why does everyone think I'm crazy? I don't try to be..."

He shrugged. "You just are."

"Why?" She paused for a minute before she shook her head and rolled her shoulders. "All well, crazy people are brilliant."

Gazzy snorted. "Full of yourself, much?"

Catlyn made a face. "Well, it's true. And you're the one who said I was crazy, so I must be brilliant. Thanks for the compliment, Gazzy!"

"Welcome, m'dear," he said in his most dashing voice. "I just tell the truth. You know me." He winked.

"Nice try. Aren't I bit old for you?"

_"Catlyn!_ I was just trying to be funny! Ugh!"

"Eh, so you say." She got a handful of mud and began making another mud pie. "We could have, like, a mud pie factory or something. Or we could throw them at each other—or the others when they get back. What do you think?"

"...I think you are a genius."

Catlyn grinned and gave a sweeping bow. "Thank you, stinker."

He gave her a cheeky smirk in reply and tossed her a pie tin. "Let's get the production going!"

"Sweet! I mean, COOL! Mud's not sweet." Catlyn laughed.

They had thirty five and a half pies done by the time Sable came out looking for them. They were done to twenty seven before she finally joined their fun, and then that drew out everyone else—except for Nudge, of course, and Alex, who had gone home. They got the greatest reaction when Gabe and Angelus came home--and chased them all around before joining in on the fun.

And then Fang appeared.

He'd come out with Max and then retreated back into the house and no one really noticed. Now, he was armed with Iggy, and he kept _disappearing_ and jumping out from behind trees. He was scary good.

They stopped only when Trinity and Ana got back home, and then only a quick cease fire because it was obviously Ana was worn out. They quickly resumed their mud filled occupation as soon as she and Trin were inside.

But eventually, Gazzy realized that his face was wet because of the snot streaming from his nose, not the mud, or sweat, or heck even _blood_ that he'd imagined. This led to Angel screaming, "EW!" and everyone deciding it was time to pack it in. There was a quick fight over showers, but eventually (after about three and a half more hours) everyone was clean, dry, and warm and shuffling into beds, sniffling horrendously.

Gazzy had his own tissue box. It was just for him.

He named it Bob.

* * *

Sable had pretty much passed out as soon as she got into her PJ's. Angel managed to push her into Sable's room and onto the top bunk, and then Angel had to intervene on Bob the Box's behalf and get him his twin: Dude the Trash Can.

Who was a girl.

When dealing with Gazzy (and Iggy, as Dude was given to Iggy 'to be a companion for his and Fang's son' ) was over, Angel dragged herself downstairs to get a mug of apple cider. As she passed Sable's room, where Ana, the babies, and Sable were sleeping, she picked up on the particular dream tones of the various sleepers--

And she had an idea.

She reached out, searching. She'd found him once, she was sure she could do it again.

And then she did. He was also out, exhausted, and still in the same room as before. It was easy work to connect his and Sable's minds in their dreams, and as they were already dreaming of each other, the dreams melded together without either one realizing it.

Angel smiled. This was a very merry Christmas indeed...

* * *

_Sable, who'd been running across the side walk in her dream, trying to reach his retreating figure but never gaining a single inch of ground, found herself suddenly running smack into a feathery back. The first thing she realized was that it was them. Then, she had a feeling that he would have smelled _really_ bad...if she could smell. But she couldn't._

_Oh wait, there was a smell... Roses. He smelled like roses._

_...Yeah. This was a dream._

_He turned around slowly and reached out for her tentatively, and seemed shocked when he did touch her, as if he was expecting her to disappear. He frowned. This wasn't right. When would the nightmare begin?_

"_Sable?"_

_His voice sounded foreign to his own ears, smooth and perfect despite the fact that he hadn't been able to make anything but raspy whistling noises for the past few days (week, months? He hadn't kept track of time). This wasn't right._

"_Luce. Luce." She touched the hands that so loosely gripped her shoulders, and then she touched his chest—the bandages were still there, but they weren't dirty. They were white, and they were comfortably tight, and his ribs didn't ache... Her touch was warm against his chest, and he knew this was real. But it couldn't be._

_"What in the world is going on?"_

Shut up and enjoy your Christmas present, Lucifer.

_"Angel!"_

"_Hah!" Sable cried. "I knew it! Thank you so much, Angel. So, so much." She buried her face in Luce's chest, her hands slipping underneath his wings so that she could pull him closer._

_He pulled her even closer in his embrace, never wanting to let her go, even if it was a dream. "Same." He buried his face in her hair. "Thank you. You have no idea…" He shut himself up before he could let her worry about him more than she already was. "It's good to see you, even in a dream. To feel you… Emma was more right than she could possibly know when she said I didn't belong here. I miss you. I ache. I wish I could have gotten you a present."_

"_...I'm not going to say what I just thought of." She sat down on a bench that had just materialized behind her. Luce found himself sitting beside her, very close, and very comfortable. "You saw Emma?"_

"_I'd rather not talk about it--"_

I'll fill you in later. Could you just ENJOY yourselves?

"_Alright, Angel."_

_"Pushy little tyrant isn't she?" He smirked. "And you know I don't mean it, Angel."_

You—know what, I'm just going to shut _._

"_Sorry Angel!" It was no use. They got no reply. Luce sighed. "That went well."_

_Sable nodded. "You know, I think we're supposed to be romantic right now. Or something. Oh goodness, this would be a bad time to have a naked-at-school dream..."_

"_Or it could be a really good time..." His voice lowered to that seductive Fallen purr that no one could ever hope to withstand. Sable turned bright pink and hid her face in his shoulder. "Maybe without the school, then?" She squeaked loudly and tensed, balling up even more. "Don't you _dare!"_ she squealed. He laughed. "I know. That's what I like about you. And I missed your blush." He nuzzled her neck, enjoying the gentle thrilling of his instincts as his nose rubbed against her skin, and the satin-on-marble feeling he got when he let his lips trail across her neck. He was so in control in the dream... No blood-thirsty urges, just warmth and gentle feelings. Just love, the ability to freely show affection without care...  
_

"_I've missed this too."_

_She rolled her shoulders and stroked his hair. "I wish this was real..."_

_Luce pulled away and shook her a bit to make her look at him. "This is as real as it's going to get for a while," he said. "Might as well make the most of it."_

_She bit her lip and rested her head under his chin. "I will...but I still want you here, instead of a dream."_

_He stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers. "We both know I'd be in your dreams anyway."_

_She relaxed into his touch, and he folded his wing around her shoulders, leaning down to--_

Lucifer opened his eyes, shivering. He didn't even have the miracle of her warmth still lingering in him. Not even in his imagination. His breath came out in giant white puffs—he could see it. Wait... He could see it! The light was on, dim, but it was on. After how long in the darkness, the light was on. If this was a blessing or a curse, it was easy enough to say when he saw the infamous woman standing in the doorway, her lab coat prim and starched, her long braid hanging in front of her, the dyed streaks flaunted coyly, and her tongue-ring displayed between the pearly teeth of her smile.

"Hello, Luce. My name is Karen."

Luce glared at her. He knew the story. "What do you want?" He tried clearing his throat of the gravel and gunk, but it came out as a growl. She smiled, as if just by growling he'd turned her on.

He shuddered.

"Nothing you need to worry about just yet." She turned back around, plucking a clipboard out of an assistant's hand, reading it, then glancing back over her shoulder at Luce and speaking so that her voice carried out into the corridor with a lazy drawl of one in charge, "You're sure you're done with the failure Moore?"

For a moment, Luce felt his heart still. Then he threw back his head and laughed. "Won't work, Karen." He snorted. "I don't give a shit."

"Which could be your downfall." She turned her back on him and faced the door to the wall, where a very ticked-off looking Zachary stood. "If you're done, do you mind signing him over to me? I have plans."

Zach looked ready to bite her head off. "You wait Karen. I swear…"

"You had your chance." She ripped a file from his hands. "The project is mine now."

Zachary narrowed his eyes at her. "However, I'm to be your supervisor. If I find that you're abusing the project—and that includes hearing it from his own mouth, may I remind you—if I find you breaking _their_ rules, you're Grotesque chow."

She smiled at him. "Then I just won't break any rules then, will I? Or maybe you just won't find out. Whatever works." She shoved the file and clipboard at the same assistant from before, waving two other Fallen into the room. "Pick him up. Follow me. Don't damage him."

The Fallen kept their faces expressionless until they had their backs to her. As they bent to help Lucifer up, their eyes, flat lips or bared teeth, and the scent that rolled off of them in musky waves told him that they were really, _really, _pissed off as well. And afraid.

_Huh,_ he thought to himself.

They marched/dragged/carried him off. They didn't turn their heads to look at him, but he could feel their glances whenever Karen wasn't looking. A left, a right, a left again…various ways until he was brought into another room, another cell. At least this one was cleaner. It had no window, but it had a light, and the light was on. He was placed on a cot while the other Fallen were shooed away. He just really hoped that Karen stayed on _that _side of the room.

As she took a step closer, he shot his most petrifying glare at her, giving her the slitted, hypnotic snake-eyed version of his more seductive gaze—and he really hoped he was right and this _wasn't_ being seductive, because that would have defeated the purpose of having her stop moving...

Luckily, she did stop. "I wouldn't come closer if I were you," he drawled. "I smell pretty bad."

She smiled and shook her head. "That should change quickly."

"Ah, so I have a shower in order? Sounds nice."

Karen snickered. "Maybe a shower, maybe the smell will just be masked by something else, who knows?"

"Well, you should, considering you're running this gig."

"You have a very good point. Did you know that there are many…harder tests that have yet to be done on the Fallen, simply because you are useful?" She smiled at him. "And since you aren't useful now, we have a free specimen for our tests. There's no need to worry about anything like ethics then, is there?"

He shrugged. "I don't think I care."

Her smile didn't show any hint of sadism, but her scent revealed it all. She was insane. Sadistic. Much too happy. He could smell it—and he knew it. It was obvious, and part of him knew that he should be afraid. But he just couldn't bring himself to be. He was going to last. He was going to survive. He was going to remain sane and alive until he could see the light of day again, see her face, for real... He smiled right back at her. "Yeah, I really don't care."

She shrugged. "But you will. You'll be fun."

"Hit me with your best shot."

"You asked for it." As she spoke, Luce found himself being hauled away again, by another pair of Fallen, but this pair was harder. Still afraid, but putting on a face. He didn't have to put on a face of any sort. He glared at Karen until she was out of sight. She didn't spare him a glance, returning to her paperwork.

"Have fun, Lucifer."

* * *

Angel screamed.

After Luce had been woken up, she'd gotten out of her sleeping bag and snuck out of the attic to get some fresh air. She just couldn't seem to fall asleep, and it was stuffy in the attic—and she was feeling uneasy. At first, she thought it was a burst of claustrophobia. Once she'd gotten outside and flown around a bit she realized that it wasn't just claustrophobia and it was something else. She tried expanding her mind to check on every one of the people she could find, but all of the people who were living in Sable's house were fine (with the minor exception of Sable, who was having a small nightmare about falling off of a high cliff into darkness).

Angel checked on Steph's house next—everyone except Lily was alright. The baby was having a tantrum, and Mason was trying to soothe her. Jeb was up in his room, searching for something that he wasn't thinking directly about at the moment. Everything was okay there.

So what was wrong?

Angel broadened her focus and a wave of agony sent her a few feet lower in the air. ITEX was performing experiments as usual, children were being frightened by nightmares, parents arguing, older siblings; gangs were fighting, crimes were being conducted... But as she surveyed each and every incident, she couldn't find what was happening.

She peeked in on ITEX and began searching. There was the receptionist, who was falling asleep and wishing for a cup of coffee, but the machine was broken. Then there were the Grotesques—Angel stayed away from them—and most of the Fallen were gathered in their joint-quarters. Their thoughts were hushed and full of fear and anger. Something was wrong, but she couldn't lock onto any of their minds.

She went to Lucy next.

_Hey, Lucy... Something's wrong, but I don't know what, do you—_

_I**t's Lucifer!**_Lucy's thoughts as a visual learner, charged with emotion, flared in bold mental words that flashed and pulsed in front of Angel's eyes. _**Karen's trying to take over Lucifer's experiment!**_

Angel's mind snapped to focus on three people: Lucifer, Karen, and Zachary. Zachary noticed her urgent whisper of _Hey!_ And he hid his face in papers, making it look like he was focusing on important issues while replying,

_Angel, what the hell are **you** doing talking to **me?**_

_Lucifer, something's wrong. What's happening?_

_Because I supposedly _mishandled_ his project, Lucifer was signed off to Karen. I have no control over her. The most I can do is make sure that if she breaks the rules, he's handed to a gentler handler. But I can't do anything until I'm alerted to it—and that doesn't mean you, if you're thinking that._

Angel would have remarked that he talked too much, but she needed that information. _Something's happening, I'm going to find out. I'll send...someone, Zo__ë__, or someone to find evidence._

She left his mind before he could answer and tried to find Lucifer. He was just being strapped into a strange machine that the other Fallen, who were handling him, had no ideas about. They greeted her with mental pleas for her to help Lucifer. Their faces and actions betrayed no emotion, but inside both of them were frantic and panicking. They wanted to help, wanted to sabotage the machine, but because they didn't know what it was or how it worked, they couldn't do anything for fear of causing Lucifer further injury. They couldn't do anything, they cried, but _she could!_

_I know,_ Angel replied. _Just leave, and get Zoë ready for me. _They assented walked out and headed back to their quarters to find the Fallen girl she was asking for. Angel cupped Luce's fragile mind in her consciousness. _Lucifer,_ she called._ Luce, something bad is going to happen. I can't stop it. I have to let something happen for Karen to be sent away—Zachary needs to have the evidence to prove that she's not capable—or too capable, either way she'll be sent away. I'm sorry, but you've got to be strong._

Lucifer sent an affirmative. _I promise I'll survive._

_I'll tell Sable--_

_Angel. There's no need. I'll survive._

She took a deep breath and began searching for a landing place. _I'm going to be there with you. Just hold on to my mind. _There, that flat place by the trees, the little meadow, before the cliff. If she went insane, she wouldn't fall off. If something happened, she could take off quickly. It was isolated, and there wasn't a creature in sight or telepathic range. She touched down and curled up, preparing herself for whatever tortures were waiting for Luce. Brushing across the nearby minds in search of some hint to what was actually going to happen, she found her answers in not Karen--who was obsessing over paperwork, but in of all people, the Voice.

_Angel,_ he said. _I forbid you from watching this._

_No,_ Angel protested, _Jeb--_

_Angel. This is not Jeb, and this is not a command. This is a warning. If you ignore me, I will shut off the link._

Angel spread her consciousness in all directions, as far as she could go, in search for a mind that had the same tune as the Voice. _I'm not going to let you stop me,_ she snarled. _This is my friend. I have to keep him strong--_

_I can do that._

_But I don't know who you are. You could be an enemy!_

_I am not an enemy, Angel. I am a friend. Just trust me: Lucifer will live. He will live, and he will keep his sanity. But you_ **will not **_witness what is about to happen. You have two minutes till I shut off the link._

Angel's grip on her knees tightened painfully. _And if I refuse and try to fight you? I can deal with pain. I can keep my mind attached to Luce's._

_Angel... If I showed you what the aftermath of this evening's experiment is, will you leave?_

_NO._

_If I showed you what will happen—from an outsider's eyes, and not from Luce's mind? I cannot have you view it from his mind. You' will go insane, even if he does not. He has endured much, much more than you or your flock mates ever have. You cannot handle what he can, the intensity of his emotions or his pain._

_But you can?_

_Yes.  
_

Angel could see that she wasn't going to win this battle. She gritted her teeth and clenched her muscles, pulling her wings as close to her body as she could. She tried to prepare her stomach for the worst that she could imagine, and beyond. The Voice wasn't joking, whoever he was.

_Show me, and I'll stay out of it._

The Voice seemed to sigh, and she felt the mind behind it tremble. As she was closing her eyes, she felt ice settle upon the area, beyond the cold of the antarctic or the ocean floor, it was an unimaginable cold... The cold was familiar to her. She felt the scream rising in her throat from just that.

And he hadn't even shown her yet.

_I'm sorry,_ he apologized.

And then, Angel screamed.

* * *

When Karen came back to the room, the lights were off. Her high heels made little sloshing noises, not just clicks, as she drew closer to the cot, and she frowned. The place reeked even more than it had before, and she'd made it very clear that the smell was supposed to have been gone by the time she got back—and the light was supposed to stay on. She found the light switch and flipped it up, and once she'd done so she couldn't help but giggle a bit at the ecstasy she felt bubbling up in her chest.

The wall in front of her was splattered with blood.

Karen imagined that maybe he'd fought, even after the experiment; that his wings had thrashed, and the blood had splattered like an artist throwing paint with a paintbrush. She trembled giddily at the thought of the blood on the floor coming all from the Fallen. She knew he wouldn't die from the blood loss, because, of the tests that they _had _been allowed to perform on the Fallen, that had been one of them. But the sight of the scarlet liquid was strangely arousing. She spun around, dragging her shoe and sending up a crest of the sticky stuff. It was beautiful. And the sight of him laying there, soaked and still _dripping...!_

"Are you done with your pleasures?" Emma, her little star prodigy, had no emotion on her face as she appeared by the doorway. "Moore wants to speak with you. He thinks he's found a loophole."

Karen scowled. "No, I am not done. Tell that little twit..." She shook her head violently. "Never mind. I'll tell him myself—but this room and its occupant are not to be disturbed except by medical personnel."

Emma shrugged. "I'm not security." Karen stormed past her, and Emma followed. Luce lay on the cot the entire time, hearing the exchange, and feeling like he was drowning in his own blood the entire time. He listened at Karen's quick pace down the hall, and Emma's quieter, less anxious one. There was a clearing of a throat as he felt hands on him, touching him. He jerked away.

"Hush! I'm not her. I'm just checking your wounds." The voice was feminine, familiar—Fallen.

"Ughnn..." _Zoë!_

"Quiet! I'm not here for lunch. You would probably taste bad anyway." He whimpered as her fingers strayed across his neck, and then let out a piercing whine as she tilted his face towards her, clearing his nose of blood—but opening the wounds. She didn't make any sound, and didn't smell of shock or fear. Just disgust. "You're never going to look the same, Luce." He didn't care. It just hurt. It just hurt, so much, he wanted to die. He wished she'd just kill him. But he had to survive... He had to...

She lay his cheek back down on the bloody floor, and he wanted to cry from how much it stung. He didn't. He couldn't.

"You've lost so much blood," she remarked, and her shoes made louder sloshing sounds than Karen's as she walked around to his other side. She attempted to extend his wing, but he shrieked plaintively and the wing wouldn't open far. "Luce, I need to see your wing."

He couldn't move it. Much like how he'd once forgotten how to move his fingers on a cold evening, he'd forgotten how to move his wings on his own. He couldn't find the right nerves, the right muscles. They had a mind of their own, and they weren't going to budge. Luce sobbed as she put a hand on his shoulder blade, grabbed his wing from underneath, and began to stretch.

There was a sickening popping sound, and then she eased the wing back to his body. Instead of snapping back as a healthy-but-slightly-injured wing would have, it fell limply to the floor, trembling uselessly in the pool of blood. More of the red fluid dripped from the inside of the wing and into the puddle with little plinking drops.

Zoë began backing out, and only paused to take off her shoes with trembling hands and wrap it in her stained lab coat. "I'm going to go now, Luce. Just hang in there." Her voice trembled, and he could smell how sickened she was. In fact, he could hear the echoes as she ducked into a restroom and vomitted. He didn't know everything that was wrong with him, he'd lost track—and thankfully, consciousness, at one point. But now he sort of wished he had a checklist. He didn't know how extensive it was, if it was potentially fatal... Was he going to die? The blackness he saw instead of the room, which he knew was lit up, was terrifying. He'd never been so afraid of the dark.

Was he going to die?

He couldn't.

He _couldn't..._


	39. Chapter 36: Preservation

_**A/N: **__The Baby-Poll is closed, and a new one is up. Please vote._

_

* * *

_

**Fang**

I woke up early the next morning. Not because of some foreboding, creeping chill along my spine, making my feathers prickle in discomfort, but because, for another of an impossible amount of days in a row, I'd slept peacefully--or as peacefully as it's possible for Fang the Ninja to get.

I stood up, stretching, and looked over my flock. All were sleeping, even Max...but there was an absence in one of the younger flock's sleeping place. I frowned, who's…? Angel. And the window was open. Had she gone for a fly? I didn't really pause to think as I threw myself out the window, silent as the grave as to not disturb the others.

What was happening now?

Now I felt the chill.

I began shouting her name in my head, remembering the many times she'd complained that she couldn't block me (or Max) out when we were thinking amorous or angsty thoughts. It was logical, then, that she'd be able to pick my frantic mental shouts of her name, right? Unless she was out of range, or injured, or worse.

I flapped twice and then swooped lower. Where could she have gone?

Maybe there was some direction in my thinking, because even though I flew without any conscious direction, I seemed to fly straight to her. I spotted her below and nearly became a large splat on the ground in my haste to find out what had happened and why in the worldshe was _walking_ back to Sable's.

"Angel!" my thoughts cried out with my words, up until this point it could have been just routine, but she was _walking, _and her _face.._. "What are you doing? What happened?"

She stared at me with wretched eyes that were bloodshot and tight. The puffiness that comes from crying had receded, and her face was thin and gaunt. Her lips were pale blue and trembling, and her teeth chattered audibly. It was a horrific sound, and I couldn't understand her through it. I flapped my wings a bit unconsciously and she shrieked my name, as if she just realized I was there. Before I knew what had happened, she'd thrown herself at me and began sobbing so loudly and heart-wrenchingly it was as if she was screaming. There were no words, just the terrible cries. I lifted her up and pulled her close, letting her bury her head in my neck and cry while I wrapped my arms around her wings and tried to keep her shaking down.

She was freezing, but she was dry. Her face was just the slightest bit damp and sticky against the skin on my neck, a sign of having been crying in the recent past; but no new tears flowed. She continued to bawl as I took off, cradling her close to my chest as I flew headlong into the wind. I had to get her home, get her warm, get her comprehensible. What had happened?

I didn't know. I still didn't know as I came in through the front door and tucked her up on the couch, as she'd nearly fallen asleep, although fitfully, on the way home. No way was I taking her up to the attic yet to face the others, and downstairs was better to be anyway, as they were all asleep. She stifled her sobs in the pillow, clutching it to her face and trying to keep it quiet. I knelt on the floor beside her and stroked her hair. "Angel, it's okay now. I'm here. Just calm down, it's safe..." She didn't say a word. She just kept crying and shaking her head. I stayed there stroking her hair and her back until she wore herself out. "Hush...It's alright..."

Finally, she mumbled something into the pillow that sounded vaguely like my name. I leaned close and slid an arm beneath her frame, lifting her so that her lips were free of the pillow. She stared at me, unblinking, and I had a feeling that she was seeing both my face, and someone else's. Suddenly, relief broke out across her features and she squeezed her eyes closed. Her fists clenched on my shirt. "Fang, you're not going to die, are you? You can't die, you can't."

I began rubbing her back again, utterly confused but not showing it, or even thinking it. I was all about soothing her. "No, Ange. I'm dead or dying. I'm here, aren't I?" I hugged her tightly. "You're safe, we're all safe. Calm down baby girl."

She laughed brokenly. "No, that's not what I mean, I mean—" She cut herself off and exhaled shakily. She responded to my hug and pressed her cheek against mine. She was still cold.

"It was pretty warm out, Ange. What happened? Did you get really wet, or did it rain on you...?" I tried to rub some warmth back into her arms. She shrugged and slid her arms into my jacket and along my back and just curled up there, her cheek still touching my skin, her icy hands pressed against my back, and her legs pulled up above my hips to keep her feet warm.

"Fang... If I told you to drop it...that I'd tell you someday...but not now..."

"I'll drop it," I sighed, and stroked her shaking wings. "But will you be alright?"

Her body tensed for a split second, and then she sighed, her breath whistling in my ear. "Yeah, Fang. I think so."'

I smiled in chagrin as the sounds of shuffling announced the others were waking up. "You going to be OK, or do you want me to head them off?"

She leaned back a little and gazed right into my eyes, and the image before my face shifted slightly; her cheeks didn't seem so sunken, her eyes weren't haunted, her face wasn't damp. She even had a playful smile on her lips. Her voice was strangely solemn for this facade. "What are you talking about, Fang?" she asked in a strong voice, and then leaned back, yawning, and saying, "You're so warm."

Despite my excellent poker face I knew my smile was still a bit off. "Maybe I'm not warm and you've just turned into an ice cube."

"That's it, hot cider, anyone?" Iggy asked as he came into the room.

"Me!"

"Me too!" Gazzy grinned. Catlyn yawned from behind them. "Me three! ...What are we going on about?"

"How freaking cold it is," I said.

"Got that right!" KIX moaned, trudging down the hall leading a very sleepy Beth; both of them were wrapped in blankets, and D curled up on the floor and fell right back asleep. KIX lay down beside her and huddled close, shivering.

The others grumbled their agreement.

Iggy trudged on and led the way to the cider, the obvious leader of all things kitchen or food related. The others followed them off, save Beth and KIX, and Max came to sit beside Angel and me and rest her chin on my shoulder and smile at Angel. "What's up?"

Angel's smile was perfect. "Nothing Max. It's so cold! Fang's warm."

"No, he's hot."

Angel cracked up while I spluttered. "Max, while I'm _flattered_... In front of Angel?"

"She can read my mind anyway." She cracked up then, losing her dead serious expression. "Your face!"

I touched my cheek and found it burning. I glared at her and then called to Trinity, who'd just stumbled down the hall, "Max just called me hot!"

"Score," he muttered. "I'll go write it down..."

"In front of Angel."

"Dude. Does that add or detract from your score?" Trinity shook his head and collapsed at the dinner table, tossing his head back and beginning to snore comically. He was faking it, but he was genuinely tuning them out.

Max turned to me and I knew I was dead. "What's this about scores? Don't tell me you're rating people again."

I held up my hands in defence. "Trin brought it up."

"Why?"

"He made a bet that he'd be dating you within five minutes of that one time you came into the room after he'd 'died', remember? I'm keeping track of his progress. So far he's gotten you to call him hot," Trinity called.

"Hey! I didn't _get _her to call me that!" I protested.

Max rolled her eyes and turned to Angel. "This is Example A and B of 'sexist pigs'," she said, pointing at me and Trin.

"No, that Alex is," Nudge muttered under her breath.

"No, Iggy is."

"Alex."

"Fang."

"Iggy."

"Alex all the way!"

"No one's more of a sexist pig than Fang."

"Iggy."

Trinity smirked at the horrified me, caught between Angel, Nudge and Max. Then he turned his eyes to Ana, who was smiling down at him just as he smiled up at her upside-down. "Morning," he said. She leaned down to plant one on his forehead. Trin of course had to steal the scene, hooking hi arm around Ana's middle and pulling her to him and kissing her hair. "How did you sleep, Santana?"

She was light-hearted and teasing as she made a face at him. "Perfect Trinity—but it's so cold!"

"Iggy's making cider—"

"Come on!"

Trinity grinned at me as Ana tugged him along after her and he waved. "Later, brother." He was smug. I rolled my eyes and rubbed Angel's back again as she continued to argue with the others about sexist pigs. If they thought I was the sexist pig, they really didn't notice Trinity showing off…

"It was your idea to keep score. And he's winning."

"Angel!

* * *

Dom had snuck out a few hours before and was currently sitting under the overhang in front of 7-11 with a pack of Pocky, a paper cup of hot tea (from the local Coffee & Tea shop), and a few more bucks in his pocket for when Holly came. He was dozing lightly, his eyes at half-mast and his thoughts wandering, but his senses tuned to every car, footstep and voice for hers. He was wrapped in two jackets, with a sweatshirt _and_ a T-shirt underneath, a thick scarf wound around his neck, and his half-fingered gloves were on. His scarf would only be pulled down from his face for a sip of tea or a bite of Pocky, and then he'd pull it back up quickly and yawn behind it carefully. He didn't want her seeing him yawning, of course, or else she'd have his head.

He missed the sound of her car, but he perked right up at the sound of her footfall and turned to face her immediately, pulling the scarf away again, but this time to grin.

"_Holly!"_

"Hey, Dom!" she called and mounted the side walk. Her mother, who was driving, sat back in her car and closed her eyes, apparently to fall asleep with the heater and the radio. Dominic would have envied her—except for the fact that Holly was there, out in the cold, drawing closer to him. He could live without such luxuries, if only he had her with him.

He got up and met her half way, wrapping her in his arms in a quick, tight embrace. _"Missed you."_

She laughed and hugged him back. "I missed you too."

He grinned and held out his tea and Pocky._ "Want any?"_

She grabbed the entire box, grinned evilly, and at his completely nonplussed and unimpressed gaze she just took one and handed it back. "You're no fun anymore," she sighed. "Remember when you used to fight about me stealing them all?"

"_Yeah, I remember. And I learned the hard way that you get what you want, when you want it, no exceptions."_

"Except for you." She chewed on the Pocky.

"_Sometimes."_

She tilted her head to the side, thought for a minute, then nodded. "Yeah, your right." She shivered. "It's cold."

Immediately, he'd stripped off his scarf, tied it around her neck, removed his thick coat, and draped it over her shoulders. After she'd pulled her arms through the sleeves and buttoned it, he held out his tea. Quite happily, he asked, _"Need me to hug you, too?"_

"The way we were talking about on IM? Let's set the mood and let me finish my tea first. I want to talk to you."

He nodded, completely agreeable. "_I'm listening_."

"I'm not done with my tea yet."

He paused for a moment. "_I'm waiting."_

She took a long sip and made a face as she swallowed. "This is just like Twitter."

"_How so?"_

"Well, you said 'I'm listening', I replied in under one-forty characters, and then you said, 'I'm waiting'. Twitter is mostly used to post pointless updates on what you're doing, like 'I'm listening' and 'I'm waiting', although neither of _your_ statements were exactly pointless. Two more sips, by the way."

Dom shrugged. "_If you say so."_

She rolled her eyes and finished. She tossed the paper cup in the trash and slipped her now free hand into his to lead him over to a warmer section of the side walk where they could both sit down next to each other. Shoulder to shoulder, they were silent for a moment. Then she leaned against him a bit more and sighed. "First of all, tell me what you're worried about. Everything."

"_That's just it. I _am _worried about everything. You, Angel, you, ITEX...have I said you yet?"_

"Start with ITEX. What's new that's making you worried? I haven't been able to get updated."

"_Alex is a better source than me. You do know he showed up at Sabes'?_"

"Alex was on his way to get information when I saw him. And I haven't been able to visit dear cousin for the past two months. The family Christmas party was canceled and we're doing New Year's instead. Last time I saw her was Thanksgiving." She turned her head to him and gave him a look that he found worse than Sable's. "Stop dodging and just answer it, Dom."

He swallowed heavily and looked down at his gloved hands, picking at a piece of fuzz. After a few moments of trying and failing to figure out how to change the topic, he began explaining the adventures the others had had since he'd seen her last, about two weeks after Sable had first met Luce. Holly listened carefully, nodding along and pursing her lips at the right times. Dom finished, then hesitated.

"And what have you been doing that entire time?"

"_I've been taking care of Sable, and the family..." _He bit his lip. _"I went to your house once—you were gone, but I didn't know that until I got there. I'd just figured that out and was about to leave when I saw one of _them _lurking in your backyard. I ran like Hell, but ever since then I've been having recurring dreams that I keep forgetting and having this sense of..."_

"This is the part that has to do with whatever Angel saw?" He nodded mutely. His tongue felt dry and swollen in his throat, and he felt rather ill suddenly. As if sensing this, she slipped one of her hands into his and rubbed his lower back, up and down his spine. He shivered, but not completely because of the cold.

"_I told her I felt like my dreams were important. I was so frustrated about not being able to remember what was making me feel so depressed... And then she asked me if I really wanted to see what was in my dreams, and I said no. The reason why I don't want to see is because when I wake up I want to cry, not because of my nightmares, or my throat, but because I feel this gaping hole in my heart. I can't imagine what would make me feel that...hopeless, lifeless..."_

"Losing Kate? Trinity? Ana? Sable?"

He shook his head slowly, his bangs falling to hide his dark eyes and set off his pale lips. _"Not even their deaths could make me feel that bad."_

"So you're sure, then?"

"_No! I'm not sure, and I don't want to be sure. I'm so afraid that if I ask Angel to show me what I've been dreaming, I'll be proven right. But at the same time, I keep wondering if I'm wrong... And I don't want to be." _He tightened his grip on her hand and brought it up to his cheek, sighing. _"It's a possibility that I know I'll have to deal with _someday._ I just don't want it to be now."_

Holly bit her lip and extended her fingers to brush his skin. "Is that all?"

"_It's more than enough."_

"I agree," she said. She snuggled into his side. "We're here and now…that's enough too."

He was silent, holding her tightly and trying to ingrain this in his memory, like he'd engraved their initials in a tree at the edge of the cliff when they'd both promised... _"What if you die before...?"_

"If I do," she said, "just know that I love you. I really do, Dom. Doesn't this prove it, that I feel this way even without kissing you or asking for that?" She smiled up at him hesitantly, seeking approval and fearing rejection. She found his eyes smouldering at the ceiling, shining with not just fire, but tears as well.

_"I know, I know, I know,"_ he rasped, _"I just don't want this to end..."_

Holly decided she'd save the quotations and deep thinking for later. But she needed to say one last thing.

"It won't end."

_"How can you know?" _he asked desperately.

"Do you really think death can stop us?"

* * *

"Why, my dear girl, do you look so pathetically _dreary_ on this fine morning?"

"Shoo fly, don't bother me." She continued walking, pulling her hood down lower on her face and shoving her hands in her pockets. He didn't get—or ignored—her drift and followed just a step behind. This unsettled her, and made her wings shift uncomfortably; she didn't like giving him her back as such a target, especially when her wings were defenseless and nearly immobile under her coat.

"Oh come on, you haven't been to 7-11 yet, you don't know how to get there. Let me at _least_ help you cross the street?"

"Are you implying that I'm an old grandma?"

He winced. "Chivalry dictates--"

"Didn't you ever hear that chivalry's dead?" She cocked an eyebrow at him and stopped, slamming her palm onto the large button for the crosswalk. She rocked back on her heels to wait, he noted, and smiled to himself and balanced on the balls of his feet, then sank back onto his heels in his own habit.

"I have indeed heard that," he said off-handedly, wondering if something as simple as the position of one's weight was part of a 'match made in heaven'. "Never believed it, though."

The cross walk beeped loudly, and Nudge set off across the street, with Alex waiting where he was by the lightpole. She thought she'd lost him and had just let a small, amused smile cross onto her face when she heard a horn blare loudly and someone cuss. Before she even had a chance to turn around, Alex had appeared, panting heavily but grinning, sliding on the bottoms of his sneakers; the rubber had worn smooth, and so he nearly slipped and fell on his face. He barely caught himself, and laughed breathlessly.

Just then, the beeping of the cross walk stopped.

Nudge put two and two together (the timing of the cross walk, the cussing and horn-blowing, Alex being out of breath and his grin) and came up with four (he'd run across at the very last moment). She rolled her eyes. "Show off."

"Adrenaline junkie," he corrected, and pranced off ahead, his elbows cocked out and his hands tucked in the back pockets of his jeans. She followed the toned lines of his arms and then his hips, and his legs...and then back up again to where his thumbs hooked out from the pockets. Her heart went tight. Darn it, he had a nice back-si—back. Very lean and muscled. Yes, _indeed._

She coughed and scrubbed her cheeks, pretending to be trying to keep warm just in case he looked over. When she caught up with him, though, he didn't seem to have noticed. He held the door open for her, and purred happily through his teeth as the automatic bell went off when they passed through. She made no comment about chivalry being deceased, but went straight for...

"Ah, a Snickers girl?" The dark hand that had been poised over a King Size Snickers dropped to a Twix. This didn't seem to deter him, as his grin spread and a chuckle rumbled in his chest. "Would you like anything to drink?" he asked.

"How about a Mountain Dew?"

He could remember how various other girls acted when they'd had too much Mountain Dew, weighed that against the probability of Nudge falling into not only that category, but the loose-lipped and heart-on-the-sleeve set of girls, and set off for the soda aisle. He grabbed the Liter bottle of M.D. and selected a modest, caffeine-free iced tea for himself.

She was waiting for him in line, bobbing her head to some unheard song, brandishing two sticks of Slim Jim, the King Size Twix bars, and a box of Pringles. She placed them on the counter and began fishing in her pocket. "One of the Jim's is for you, and we'll share the Pringles. Only because I don't have enough money for separate boxes."

"Did you consider letting me buy my own?"

"You don't have any money on you."

"What an astute observation." Unperturbed, he smiled. "How'd you tell?"

"Your pockets are all empty. If you'd been running around and messing with your hands like you were, any money in them would have jingled or fallen out, or both. Neither happened, _and_ your pockets are flat. No sign of mulah." She accepted her change and ignored him as he snatched the bags from under her hands. He held the door for her again and followed her outside.

"Are you going home?" he asked.

She liked the way he said 'home'. She knew it was too good to be true—it just felt so nice... If it felt nice, why'd it leave her with a gaping hole in her chest? She wrapped an arm around her chest and shifted her weight to her other foot. "Nah, things are a bit too crazy at the moment. I want to keep walking, but I dunno where. Haven't gotten out much yet."

To her mild surprise, he smiled. "I know just the place. It's a trail down by the creek, it connects two different parks. The first one's small and called the blue park, and the second one is much, much larger and it's the orange park. The trail will be populated, so you don't have to worry about having to deal with my less than charming face and my unwanted advances alone. The space above the trail is clear of trees, so if you want to fly off..."

"Lead the way."

He nodded and turned away, hiding a smile so she wouldn't see it—not that she could have, because she'd just uncapped her bottle of Mt. Dew and tipped her head back for a long swallow. They walked and walked for about five minutes, and then they crossed the street and came back onto the sidewalk in front of a small children's playground. Nudge looked at it with curiosity in her eyes, and Alex laughed. "What, have you never seen a playground?"

"Well, I have...but..." She shrugged. "Nothing, never mind."

He raised his eyebrows. "You'll love the orange park. It's much bigger, and there are swings and a higher structure, and a jumping bridge, a tire swing..."

"A tire swing?"

"Si. A tire swing. Come on, let's get walking." He turned away and led her onwards. They crossed a bridge above a swollen creek, where ducks bobbed and little black dots of fishes swam. Alex practically skipped across the bridge, his eyes firmly set ahead—but he licked his lips. "Just wait until spring," he murmured to himself. "They'll be bigger in spring..."

Nudge gave him a sidelong glance out of the corner of her eye, of course being able to hear him. "Don't tell me you're thinking what I think you're thinking. That's almost as bad as desert rat."

"Nonsense!" The face he gave her was one of shock and horror. "We cook them and might I remind you that cooked fish is perfectly _normal_ compared to rats?"

She shook her head and looked straight ahead. "Fish is gross."

"Would you rather I hunt birds, m'dear?"

It was hard for Nudge to pretend that she didn't feel a thrill of fear and adrenaline course through her heart. Maybe she was just imagining the predatory gleam in his eyes. Yeah, she was imagining it, right? She covered her face in her hands, pretending to blow in them to warm them up. "Oh, alright. Eat the dumb fish. I'd rather you go after them than a relative."

"Thought so." He chuckled and slowed down so he wasn't skipping. "Come on, Nudgie. It looks like it might start to rain soon, and I so detest getting wet. And I'm wearing _white_ again..." Nudge squeaked and wished she hadn't done such a good job warming up her face. He beamed. "Yes, we wouldn't want that now, would we? Let's hurry along then."

Nudge quickened her place now, leading the way. She attempted to avoid his eyes on her back even though she could picture them twinkling in amusement and his smile… She quickened her pace even more, just barely keeping herself from running ahead now. "Hurry up yourself, Alex!"

He chased after her, and teasingly snatched a lock of her hair, let it go, roared, purred and made the 'chase' all the more fun. She found herself laughing as she ran as well, exhilarated and only half running on adrenaline—the rest was just happiness, giddiness almost. She was running so fast that when the first raindrops began to fall, they hit her face with what seemed like the force of bullets. She stopped immediately, and Alex very nearly slammed into her. He angled his course at the last moment and ran a few feet ahead before back-pedalling. "We'll never make it back," he bemoaned.

"Well then, let's wait it out," she said without a thought, and pointed over at a tree. "That one looks thick enough, and you _can_ climb, can't you?"

"Of course I can," he replied. "But can you?"

Instead of answering, she took off and flung herself up, grabbing the first branch and swinging herself up, using her legs to catch another branch, and then pulling herself into a sitting position. She leered down at him. "Beat that, kitty cat!"

And he did.

He repeated the same movement she did, grabbing the same branches she did but pulling himself beside her, but there was something in his movements. He had a lazy grace, one of whom was born for climbing and really didn't have to show off. Of course, he was a kitty cat…

"How's that?" His grin made her breath hitch. Then again, no one ever said he was a humble kitty, let alone a harmless one.

"Hm. I don't know." She pretended to look off into the distance. "What do you think?"

"Purrfect?" He beamed.

She shook her head, and grinned at him as a playful, teasing angel would. "Horrible."

He put a hand to his chest, and placed the back of the other to his forehead. "Woe is me! You have wounded me, madam, I say, you have wounded my pride!"

"Oh, I can't have done that bad." She grinned and elbowed him. "You're ego's pretty big, I bet your pride's just fine."

He had the good manners to blush. "'Tis the truth."

"What's up with the weird lingo, Kitty?"

"Well, _Nudgie,_ I felt like it."

"If you call me that one more time, you die."

"Death isn't so terrifying," he said, "if you will deal it."

"How about neutering you?"

"...Shutting up now."

She collapsed into helpless giggles, something inside of her falling down. It wasn't that funny, but something about the situation, his face…his face! His face was right there. As she'd laughed she'd leaned into him and now as she looked up her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, and his ever-confident smile was nervous.

"Hey there, Nudgie. You alright, or should I be worried about your laughing fits?"

She raised an eyebrow. "…Nudgie?"

"Oh, yeah." He frowned. "Shutting..."

She nodded. "That would be the best idea…" She began to sit back up and pull away, but she paused, still very close, forgetting to breathe. He did too. She closed her eyes and jerked away, looking off again. "So…um…"

Suddenly, one of his hands was gripping her shoulder, and his other was on her knee. "Don't move, Nudge," he whispered, and she could feel his breath on her face. "And don't open your eyes."

For a moment, she thought she might just about die from fright, the adrenaline, and the butterflies. Then, she decided she might just castrate him right then and there. "What the hell are you doing?" she hissed.

"Are you afraid of snakes? Big snakes?"

"No... Max is, but I'm not really."

"Oh. Promise you won't scream?"

She opened her eyes and glared at him. "Really, Alex, what's going--" The hand on her shoulder had poked her in the chin and turned her head behind her. Her eyes widened, and a small tremble went through her. "Oh."

There was a rather large python snaking its way up another branch above them, hissing loudly.

"Crap," she breathed. "Big snake..." She leaned away from it, getting a firmer grip on the branch beneath her. She was fully intending to swing out of that tree at the first opportunity.

"Crawl behind me and stay in the tree," Alex commanded. "I'm going to knock the snake down. If you're on the ground, it'll get at you easier. Stay in the tree."

"What, are you crazy?" But he had a point. Nudge sucked it up as best she could and carefully pulled her body upright, slipping her way onto the branch farthest from the snake. She turned back to face Alex and the python just as he leaped at it, hissing so loudly it drowned out the snake. The snake launched at him a fraction of a second later, but he moved out of the way easily and kicked it down in one smooth motion. The snake hissed again angrily at them from the ground, but after a long calculating moment decided to slither away to some place where it would most likely no longer be disturbed. Nudge laughed breathlessly. "Heh. Good thing Max wasn't here."

"Would she have screamed?" he asked, climbing back over.

"Probably. Very loudly."

"Alright then. Good thing she wasn't here, or else I wouldn't have been able to hear."

"Har har." He didn't smile, leaning back against the trunk and rubbing his hands, which were shaking. She watched him with concern as his fingers trembled. "You going to be alright?" she asked.

He nodded. "Just a bit too cold. Rain, snakes...not my piece of cake."

Nudge eyed him, then held out the box of Pringles. "Eat."

"Only if you have more Mt. Dew."

She gave him a, 'What the heck?' look, but pulled out the bottle again. He then took some Pringles and smiled at her winningly before eating them, and nodding at her. "So you're from Max's flock. But is that really fitting anymore, do you think? Max's flock and Trin's flock...you're all one big group right now, and you're planning on staying that way, right?"

"Yeah, I guess." She shrugged, not interested quite yet, but took another drink. "What about you? What were you doing with a panther girl, getting a tattoo?"

He scowled. He was hoping that she'd have forgotten that, but... At least it would keep her occupied for a bit. "What I do...gathering information...is a risky business. And us felines aren't always the friendliest lot, especially to one another."

"Obviously. Although, I agree with her message. The delivery was a bit sadistic." Nudge giggled.

"What!" he exclaimed.

"Pussy cat?" She laughed outright. "Don't tell me you haven't thought of what she meant!"

He scowled. "It goes over my head. Explain it to me, will you, Nudgie?"

Nudge's face changed immediately. "I don't think I will."

He frowned, then laughed. "Will you tell me if I _really _stop calling you Nudgie?"

"No way!"

"Then what will make you tell?"

She brushed her hair out of her face and took another sip of her drink. "Tell me more about this panther girl."

"What about her?" He scowled. He didn't like the way the conversation was going. "She skinned me alive, what's there to tell? Panthers…bah. No good, that lot." He grinned. "I'm a lot better, no?"

Nudge rolled her eyes. "I'm more of a dog person."

"There are bird dogs." He pointed out. "I don't eat birds."

"Not all dogs eat birds either." She countered. "And fish are gross."

"I don't have fish breath."

She gave him a long look. "Are you implying something?"

"No, I just have mints." He went through his pockets for a moment before finally finding some and grinning at her. "See? I do have something."

"Well, it's not money."

He shrugged. "Yes, well…" He held out the mints. "Want one?"

Nudge took one. "Continue. Why'd she skin you alive?"

Alex groaned. "Nudge, darling! What does it matter? She's a panther. She's evil. She works for ITEX, and I was going against her and her bosses. Isn't that enough? What does it matter?"

Nudge eyed him. "If you tell me what you'd been doing, I'll tell you what the _engraving_ means."

"Fine. I was flirting with her as I escaped."

"HAH!" Nudge jumped up. "I knew it!"

"What?" he demanded, agonized.

"Pussy cat—hahaha... _Essentially_ it means you're a womanizer, but I mean seriously, haha..." She giggled.

He scowled at her. "Oh, yes. Very funny."

"It _is!"_ She sat back down and swung her legs happily. "You know it's funny. It's hilarious even! H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S. Hillary-mouse. Heh. Wouldn't that be funny if you had a mouse named Hillary and it, like, did something silly... Eh, that's a stretch, never mind. Speaking of mice, do you eat mice? 'Cause you're a cat, you know, and I mean—wait, I thought you didn't eat rats? But wouldn't you, if you're a cat?"

Alex stared, and let a wary smile take over his face. He wasn't used to her talking so much around him, even if he heard she was a talker. "I prefer to be more...refined."

She quieted suddenly. "Right. Refined."

"Something wrong?"

"Nothing. I think I had too much Mt. Dew."

"That's alright." He smiled. "You haven't seen some girls on any amount of caffeine--Monsters, Red Bull, Mt. Dew...I've dumped that stuff in a water fountain before, and I swear there was this squirrel...you'd have thought the poor thing was drunk."

"There was this one time when Ella had Red Bull... She was _all over_ Iggy."

Alex found himself wishing for some Red Bull. He smiled anyway. "Really? That must've been awkward, as they can't seem to keep their hands off each other as it is."

"I know, right?" She sighed. "Them, and Max and Fang, and like, everyone who has a boyfriend or girlfriend... It's just so awkward whenever I see them... And it makes me feel..."

"Yeah." He looked away. "Being a pussy cat is usually easier then that. Not as much heart ache, but then again..." Alex looked back at her and smiled. "Sometimes heart ache is necessary."

Nudge hugged herself. "Right."

Alex sat down on the branch next to her and put an arm around her shoulders. He could feel her shivering under his touch. "Do you want me to leave?"

"And get your shirt soaked? Psh."

"I don't know if that was a yes or a no."

"That would be a no."

"Alright."

Alex rested his head on her shoulder. "You're cold."

"It's cold out here."

"I know."

They were silent for a while before Nudge grumbled and snuggled closer to him, taking another drink as she did so. "Seriously. If you tell anyone I'm snuggling up against you I'm gonna kill you. It's just cold, alright?"

"If you say so, Nudgie."

Nudge groaned, and then sighed. "My mouth is numb. Stupid Mountain Dew..."

Alex stole it from her and studied it. "Are you afraid of germs?"

"No, just cooties, and how would you drinking some fix my mouth being numb?"

"Because then we could both suffer, and I'm thirsty too." He smirked. "Do I have any cooties to be afraid of?"

She watched him silently as he finished off the last of the Mountain Dew. He grimaced. "You're right, it does make you feel strange." He shook himself and then leaned over her to drop the empty bottle into her bag. His hand brushed across her and, well, let's just say the Mountain Dew'd already gotten her on the edge. She couldn't stand it.

She leaned away from him, and moved onto a completely different branch. He frowned at her. "Do you always change your mind this quickly? I thought you wanted to snuggle a couple seconds ago?"

"I did. Just because it's cold. I'm warm now."

Alex rolled his eyes and reached out to touch her cheek. "You're face is warm…" He then took her hands in one of his own, never taking the other away from her face. "But not your hands." She couldn't breathe properly; entranced, hypnotized by his slitted pupils. They were more round than usual, because of the lack of light, but there was still that slight pointedness they had; and his eyes, the exotic color of his irises, the size of them as well—he was so beautiful--

Tentative, scared of scaring her away, he leaned forward and ever so lightly brushed his lips against hers before slowly puling away and studying her with his eyes. "Nudgie?" She didn't answer, just squeezing his hand tightly and closing her eyes. A smile began to spread across her face.

"I thought I told you to stop calling me that."

His own answering grin was glorious. "But I like to call you Nudgie, Nudge darling."

"But Aaron in _Wings of Wrath _called his Nudge that. It'd be weird..."

Alex's smile never left his lips. "What else can I call you, then? Nudge-kins?

"No...how about just darling? That would work, right?"

"If you like it, then that's what I'll call you, _darling,_" he purred, and another thrill went up her spine. She squeezed his hand again and nodded wordlessly. He smirked at her. "Well then, darling, the rain's let up. Shall we head home?" He leaned in again and kissed the corner of her mouth. "I doubt we could get away with this at home..."

"Let's not go...not yet..."

"I agree," he rumbled, and kissed her truly this time.


	40. Chapter 37: Promise

_**A/N: **I've begun reading _Jane Eyre_ as of writing Holly/Dom. Forgive me. Heh. :) And if anyone can guess where I got the name "Leena" from, they get a prize. (Mebbeh).  
_

* * *

Time had passed. How long, he had no idea. By now, however, he could move without tearing open his wounds, or ripping open his face... He just couldn't move his wings at all, or else he'd be in so much pain that he'd black out. He didn't want to know what was wrong.

He sat on the cot again. He could move now, even if it was painful. He watched the door. This break in the peace couldn't last, and when it ended it would be worse than before. Luce new it. He also knew that it was about time for her to come around and gloat.

Just on schedule, she came in. She seemed put out when, after a cursory look around, she saw that the blood had finally siphoned through the drain in the center of the floor and the cleaning crew had mopped up the rest. Everything was all sparkling and clean now.

Then Karen looked at him, and her face lit up. "Oh _Lucifer!"_ Her voice was filled with barely contained ecstasy, and he felt ready to puke at the sudden sense of just plain sadistic, perverted lust that surrounded her. "Just look at yourself!" She rummaged around in her coat and then pulled out a little make up kit. She flipped it open and pointed it at him.

"What the hell did you do to my face?"

"Lucifer, what does it look like? You look…Not that you didn't look hot before, but now…" She smiled. "Now you've had a great improvement."

"Improvement," he repeated, too flabbergasted to be angry. "Dude, if it was an X or something, or just over one eye—that'd be an improvement. It'd make me look bad-ass. But this? This—I look like Frankenstein!"

"You look like Lucifer. So handsome it's a sin, scarred, and I can just see the darkness brewing behind your eyes..." She grinned at him and quickly whipped out yet another file and began flipping through again. "Now, you are getting your wish to look truly bad-ass shortly. As soon as prep is ready we'll be moving you. And hmm." She reached into he pocket and pouted. "They say you need to be sedated. What a shame."

"What?"

But she was surprisingly quick, and she'd jumped away before he'd even had a chance to fight back. She jumped out the door as he stood up and stumbled towards her, hissing through his teeth. His knees gave way quickly, and then she watched with glee as his red eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed onto the floor, his wings dragging on either side, one useless, the other paralyzed at his side.

"Ahh, a Fallen angel," she sighed, and snapped her fingers. "Bring him."

* * *

When Luce came-to he was sprawled in another room. He instantly recognized the overbearing chemical smell and the lighting as being from one of the various operating rooms, even without Karen leaning over him and smiling, with two other Fallen by her side. "Hello Lucifer." She stepped back behind the Fallen and turned on her heel to head off down the hall at a brisk pace. "Bring him."

The two Fallen lifted him up under his arms, and he could smell something strange on them. His anaesthesia-drunken mind took a while to come up with what the smell was, and it took even longer for it to sink in and the confusion to come in. Why'd they been crying? He could smell tears, disgust, and sadness... But he didn't know why.

"Urgh…" He couldn't make his mouth work right yet, his tongue was like lead, just like the rest of him. His unspoken question of what _the hell_ was going on went unanswered or acknowledged except by a shared glance by the Fallen carrying them, and a slight stumble made by the one to the left. Luce braced himself for the sharp jolt in his wing as it was elbowed, but no blow came. But that couldn't be anything. Maybe he just hadn't felt it because the anesthesia. Or something. Anything but _that_—Zach had said he wouldn't let that happen, right? Or had he? What had been his exact words? Luce couldn't remember.

And that made him worry.

"Let him go." Karen's voice broke into his thoughts as he was dropped roughly by the Fallen, even though he could feel their apology radiating from them. Karen unlocked yet another door and waited for Luce to heave himself up. She smiled. "After you."

He struggled to get to his feet, using the wall and wishing his wings were working so that he could balance... He was feeling strangely light as he moved. He wasn't used to the near weightlessness he felt—he attributed that to feeling high from whatever they'd given him. He forced himself into the room, and then looked back at Karen. "What's going on?"

Her smile merely widened before the door was slammed shut behind him and her voice was magnified throughout the room. "Testing endurance. What else?"

And then the walls opened up and something was burning his bare feet, and he knew what was happening. The mazes were their crudest experiments, generally only used to test the mettle or torture a hybrid. They'd done this to Angel. They'd done this to him before he'd been shoved in the closet to die. It was one of the reasons that he'd been shoved into the closet in the first place: He'd given up in the maze, and no matter how many times they zapped him or burned him, he wouldn't get up. He couldn't get up.

But he was stronger now. He could, and would endure. He had to.

He made it through at his fastest speeds four times in a row, hardly out of breath at each end. Karen didn't look at him between runs, until his feet began to slip and get seared. The seventeenth time through the maze, and he got lost. He grabbed onto the wall, ignoring the shocks and burns, and scrambled onto the top. "You cheaters!" he gasped as he jumped back down and raced toward the door he'd started from, cradling his burned hands to his chest. "There's no freaking exit!"

The door remained closed.

"Yes there is," Karen said, her voice swollen and tight from attempting and failing to contain her ecstasy. "Just use your head."

Luce was hopping from foot to foot like he was playing DDR, trying to alleviate the burning in his feet. Use his head? What the hell was that supposed to mean? Well... Just on the off chance, he looked up.

There it was, the door above this one. He could make it if he flew, just one strong flap and he'd be higher than he even needed, he wouldn't need to exert any energy, and the electricity and the burning wouldn't hurt him anymore. He coiled his muscles, and then--

Karen giggled in what she thought was the perfect harmony to Luce's screams.

* * *

"What?" Zach snapped without looking up from his desk, anger and irritation rolling off him in waves. When Zoë looked at him from the doorway, her eyes and voice were dead.

"Luce."

Zach tensed, and shoved his paperwork away, glaring up at her. "I repeat myself, and you know I hate that: _What?" _Zoë ignored his anger, she let his misdirected hate wash over her without feeling it.

"Karen messed up."

Moore jumped up, shoving away from his desk and striding across the room in quick paces. "What, Zoë? How? I can't get rid of her unless I know!"

Zoë looked him straight in the eye, and this made Zach clench his jaw. No Fallen would address him straight on unless they were desperate or suicidal.

"Have you seen his wings?"

He shook his head. "No, you know that. It's no my project anymore, I have nothing to do with it."

Zoë scowled and her voice rose to a sudden volume. "Luce is not an it!" She closed her eyes and looked away. "You should see his wings. All the Fallen have." And now she looked through him, as if watching something different, her mind somewhere else. For a moment, her mask trembled, giving him a glimpse of grief as only a Fallen could feel it. Then it was back and Zoë left down the hall without a backward glance. Zach stared after her until she was out of sight, then rushed back to his desk and threw together as many papers as he could before grabbing the phone off his desk.

Halfway out the door he paused.

Calling the higher ups would not bode well if it was a false alarm, but Zoë would not have alerted him unless it was important. Then again, Zoë was Fallen… Zoë was _Fallen._ She knew how to obey orders. She wasn't Karen. Karen was sadistic.

He flew off down the hall calling the higher ups on speed dial.

* * *

"Yes. Yes. Five. Yes. No, I am not an intern. Yes, I am prepared to take an audio sample. _Zachary Hotness Moore._ Yes, I am ready to enter my password." Zachary punched in his password on the phone, and then it went back to his ear and he waited to be put through.

"_This better be good, Moore."_

"It isn't, Sir. I've just been alerted that Karen's disobeyed orders. I was alerted by your personal favorite—Zoë, the Fallen. She would not have lied about this, as you know."

"_I presume you are on your way to verify this."_

"Yes, Sir."

"_Good. Alert me when you're there."_

"Yes, Sir."

Zach just barely kept his pace under a run, quickly checking every one of Karen's rooms and labs, even the room that she had kept Luce in but finding nothing. He stopped an intern.

"Karen! Where is she?"

The scientist looked at him as if he was insane. "She's at the maze room, cackling like a hyena."

"What about?" He had to resist the urge to grab the white coat by his collar. "What's she doing?"

"The maze—"

"I know what the maze is!" Zach hissed. "What has she done? Is Luce there?"

"He's there! She—" Zach didn't wait as he threw his prisoner against the wall and took off again, shoes skidding out from under him as he raced around the twists and turns of the corridors, so like a maze themselves. He threw open the doors to the viewing room with the air of a provoked devil, already holding the phone to his ear as he gave Karen the glare of death.

"I have Karen here, Sir."

"_Put me on speaker."_

A button was pressed.

"You are on speaker, Sir."

"_Good. Now, Karen. What have you done to Lucifer?"_

Karen's face flushed blotchy red and she gave Zachary the finger. "Simple endurance tests, Sir. We're currently trying to build his stamina by putting him through the maze--"

"_What other tests, Karen? Tell me. In detail. I know how much you love to savor such things."_

"We—that is to say, I…I had his wings removed, and before that, various other experimentations on his flesh and bone to test his strengths and weaknesses in further detail. Also, I tested how much blood loss and pain he could handle and still function. As you can see…" She turned to look out at Lucifer. "He is none the worse for wear, really, and actually looks better for it—more aesthetically pleasing."

Zachary felt as if the entire Arctic ocean had been dumped onto him. Strike that; he'd just been teleported to the middle of it and was locked under the ice, sinking, drowning in the cold silence. The woman on the phone seemed to be holding her breath. Zachary knew she was shocked, even without her saying a word. Karen—he could care less about her, but she looked ready to scream and rip out his jugular, crush his windpipe, put her hand through his chest. She struggled to keep her breath steady. He didn't care. He didn't care about anything except—

"_Zachary, get Lucifer out of there. You are temporarily back in charge of the project. Karen..."_

"Yes."

Zach didn't wait to hear Karen's punishment. He was shoving the phone into her hand and taking off at the speed of light, running through the maze to Luce, depending entirely on his memory and making quite a few mistakes for it, but eventually he made it. He dropped down by Luce, pulling him up and practically dragging him back towards the hallways of the maze before giving Luce he chance to realize he was there. He laughed dryly. "This would've gone a lot easier if I'd have paused to get help."

Luce's head fell against his chest as he picked him up, and a low groan, inaudible but rumbling in his chest, sparked Zachary's panic. But this wasn't the time... He had to get out. Zachary ran through the Maze again, having committed the way to memory the first time through, and some part of his mind wondered at how light Luce was, at how much of his body weight had been his wings...

Then they were out, and Zachary was racing towards his own quarters where he placed Luce on his own bed and reached for his first-aide kit.

Luce was badly burned. The bottoms of his feet, and the side of his body that had touched the floor were red, but upon further inspection Zachary was relieved that they weren't _too _bad. He fixed up those and moved on to the cuts and bruises on the rest of Luce's body. Then there was his face; it had been barely healed, and had been split open sometime during his time in the maze or when he'd been jostled in the run to Zach's room—Zach wasn't sure. Once that was fixed, Zachary tried to find anything else, anything, to keep him busy. But he'd fixed everything as best as he could for the moment.

He had no choice. He had to see it.

Motivated by a morbid curiosity and a cold dread of what he might see and what he knew was true, Zachary began to carefully roll Luce over. Luce let out a whistling exhalation of pain, but that was all. He couldn't fight anymore. He couldn't even open his eyes.

Zachary wished that Lucifer hadn't been put through this sort of situation as often as he was, and Zachary felt haunted by the knowledge that it was probably all his fault in the first place. He should have done something, anything to prevent it. He'd promised, hadn't he? _Hadn't he? _Zachary wished he'd said it clearly at least once. Maybe that would have convinced whatever cosmic forces that were screwing with his life that he really meant it for once.

He'd been looking anywhere, everywhere except Lucifer's back for the past few moments, trying to fight it...but now he gave in and his eyes strayed across the wretched expanse of toned muscle, hidden by pale skin and a scattered coat of feathers. Where the feathers ended, the horrors began. The wounds were still angry red, and the stumps didn't look much better. They were small and round, hardly more than enlarged shoulder blades positioned too low. It was wrong. It was perturbing, perverse. Disgusting.

And it was his entire fault, had Zachary mentioned that?

Luce groaned, making Zach jump. Zach rolled Luce carefully on his side to avoid his back paining him. Luce's eyes were slits and his voice rasped. "Zach? What the hell…?"

Zachary smiled tensely and grabbed Luce's arm, ready to hold him and roll him back on his stomach. "Karen's gone, I got you out of there, and I'm in charge of the project again. Luce—It's all my fault. I am so sorry, Luce."

"I'ss okay," Luce whistled. "I'ss okay…"

"No it's not," Zachary disagreed. "But it's going to be. I promise."

Luce groaned again and Zach's grip on his shoulder became tighter. "Luce, I've got to roll you over again, I need to take care of your back. Don't pass out on me, alright? I need you awake as long as possible." Zach didn't trust his ability to revive Luce on his own, and he most definitely didn't trust anyone else to help him.

"'ll do m'bess…"

"That's all I ask. Your best is better than most." Zach began to stitch together the mess of Lucifer's back with quick precision, wincing when Luce flinched. "I'm sorry, I'm not leaving you to get an anesthetic."

"'ss'okay…" But Zach knew Luce was fading fast from the overload of pain and exhaustion. Luckily for him, Zach ran out of thread and had to resort to super glue, which made him wonder why he hadn't just used it in the first place.

He mentally hit himself as he went back over to sink to wash his hands of blood and suddenly felt sick. Blood had never made him nauseous , but now the red stuff running off of his hands, stuck under his nails, swirling in the sink... Zachary barely managed to make it to the restroom attached to his bedroom before the bile came past his teeth.

When he finally came back to the room, Luce was fast asleep but breathing steadily. He had a slight fever, but Zach wasn't worried about that right now. He'd be alright for a bit.

Now, though...

Zachary grabbed his room's phone and sat down on the couch there, his elbows on his knees as he dialed, and eyes on Luce's gaunt face. The Fallen's face was to him, not his back, thank God.

The line was busy. _Damn--_

"_Redirecting..."_

Zachary let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. "Leena, thank goodness."

"_Thank the doctor, not me. She says she'll call you when she's done speaking to Karen. She also tells you to have your gun on you at all times, just in case. Karen is being difficult."_

"Alright. Thank you, Leena."

"_You're welcome, Doctor Moore. Is there anything you'd like me to relay to—"_

"That's alright, Leena. No need to mention anything, thank you."

The line went dead and Zachary put the phone back in its holster. For a few moments, he stared blankly at the wall. He really hoped that Leena, in all her good intentions, didn't breathe a word about him to _her..._ He shuddered at the thought.

Then he picked up the phone again and dialed. "Lucy?" he asked softly.

"_Is he alright?"_

"How about you come to see for yourself?"

"_I'll come tomorrow, okay? It's my bedtime right now."_

"Alright, Lu. I'll see you tomorrow." He hung up and let out a breath of relief, turning to the screen beside his bed where the security camera feed was. He touched the screen and dragged the windows until he found the cameras around his door and through his quarters.

Soon, Zoë came down the hall with two other Fallen, and Lucy in between, hidden inconspicuously by their height and wings. Zoë put her hand on the scanner and the doors opened; Lucy slipped inside, Zoë followed, and the doors closed. The two remaining Fallen stood in front of the door, lounging but vigilant.

Zoë and Lucy came into the room and both girls went straight for the Fallen lying on the bed. Lucy's small hands went to cup his jaw and her small lips puckered in concern as her gaze swept over him, making a catalogue of every small wound, every stitch and every bruise as only the sister of Doctor Zachary Moore could; then she leaned down and pressed a very gentle kiss to Luce's cracked lips, as only the little sister of Zachary Moore could.

"You're going to be alright now, Luce," she whispered and, as Zachary couldn't hear her, added, "we're going to get you out soon."

Zach came over and brushed her hair back, his eyes were focused on Luce, not really seeing anything. "I'm sorry. This shouldn't have happened."

She didn't reply.

He sighed and pulled away to go lean against the opposite wall. He was utterly exhausted, utterly drained, but couldn't make himself relax. He caved in on himself, talking to Lucy but not really talking to her, more to himself. "I am sorry. I really am. This should never have happened…It will not happen again."

"You can't promise that," Zoë said. "You're only back in charge temporarily. Whoever's next will be better than Karen, but who's to say that they're not going to be worse than you?"

"_I _say." His hair fell in his face and he glared at her. "I will work this out. I have to."

To his surprise, the Fallen gave what looked suspiciously like a smile. She leaned against his shoulder, breaking all etiquette she'd ever been taught, appearing absolutely exhausted. "Thanks," she sighed, closing her eyes. "It's so nice to hear you taking control like that..."

Zachary put an arm around her shoulder, concerned. "How long has it been since you've slept?" he asked. He had to persuade himself that the concern he felt was just for his soldier, his creation. After all, she was the favorite of one of the higher ups... If she was in bad condition, he'd have to pay for it. His other hand reached up to brush across her cheek, underlining the dark circles beneath her eyes with detached worry.

His touch got to her. She straightened up and rubbed her eyes, avoiding his gaze. "I haven't been getting much rest. I haven't been allowed the time."

He nodded. "I understand." He looked away from her to Lucy and sighed again deeply. He knew they would not talk around him. He understood that they too were doing the right thing. He walked over to his bedroom door and looked back at Lucy. "I need to go for a walk. Stay here as long as you like." He gave her a meaningful look that told her she better not leave before he got back, and she nodded absently.

"Can I use your other bed?" she asked.

"Yeah, feel free." He was already out the door and into the kitchen, now the living room, now out the door. He turned to the two Fallen there—two males who he couldn't remember the names of. "Don't let anyone enter," he said. "Only Zoë may leave. Lucy can't. Lucifer and Lucy must be protected with your lives, do you understand me?"

"Yes, sir!"

He marched down the hall with a new purpose. He had no idea how to keep his promise, but he knew he had to. The best way was to let Lucy and Zoë take care of things, but until then…Until then he had work to do.

He made his way to one of the lab computers that one of the other scientists had left running. Usually he would have reprimanded them, but this time he used it. Using someone else's would make him harder to trace if anyone was interested, and he knew that this section of the building was not closely monitored. He hacked into the database—which he had had a hand in creating, by the way—and began downloading the files of all those that stood a chance of taking over his project, and all the superiors who were involved in making that choice.

And now came reading not only about all these scientists, but of all the gruesome experiments they had performed, and all the blood thirsty hierarchies within ITEX. Joy.

He had a long night ahead of him.

* * *

Gabriel walked into the backyard to find Trinity looking around and above him, apparently searching for someone. Curious, Gabriel cleared his throat. "Who're you looking for?"

"Dad. I feel like picking on him."

"Ah, cool. He's on the roof—everyone's favorite place."

"Thanks, Gabe." Trinity launched himself up and disappeared onto the roof, and it took Gabe only a few seconds to decide to follow. Then he was up on the roof and picking himself up, grinning at the tortured face of his best friend.

"Gabe! Why did you help him?"

Gabe shrugged. "Why not? Don't you want to see your son?"

"Not when he's feeling devious." The glare that Angelus gave Gabe was crippling. Gabe ignored it and sat down beside his friend and Trinity.

"All well. What are you up to Trinity?"

Trinity shrugged. "I'm just going to wait until Dad says something self-incriminating."

"Oh. Then you don't have too long to wait. He'll end up saying something as soon as he opens his mouth."

"Hey!"

"--is for horses."

"Is that the best you can do, Trin?"

Angelus rolled his eyes. "Of course hay is for horses. What else is it good for?"

"Hay rides."

Gabriel rolled his eyes and leaned back, throwing an arm up over his face and trying to give a smile. Maybe by covering his face they wouldn't see the effort he put into the grimace. He felt Angelus move closer to him.

"You're doing it again," he said gently.

"I know," Gabe replied. "Go back to teasing each other lamely."

"It wasn't _that _lame," Trinity mumbled.

"It was too," Gabe said.

"Don't change the topic," Angelus warned. "I know what you're doing."

Gabriel scowled at Angelus, keeping his tone light with his arm still draped over his eyes and addressed Trinity. "Hey kiddo, any idea what your old man is going on about? I sure have no idea."

Trinity shrugged uncomfortably. "You're reminding me of Dom when he's having one of his emo spells..."

Gabe pulled his arm away and rolled his eyes at Trin. "Not helping, kiddo." The arm went back.

"Sorry, but I fear my dad more than I fear you. Because I can always elope--"

"Shut up, Trin," Angelus warned.

Trin held his hands up in defence and frowned at his Dad. "I'm sorry. Not the best time for a joke?" He put his hands back down and leaned forward, studying the two others. "What's up?"

For a moment there was silence. Angelus' eyes were trained on Gabe, his gaze steely and warm at the same time, and very hard. Gabe twitched and then relaxed, his muscles loose and limber. Trinity knew that pose; it was that of a man who was about to give in to melancholy—and peer pressure. "Fine." He sighed softly. "I was...thinking about Gwen."

Angelus shook his head. "Gabe...you know if anything she wouldn't want you to think like that. If she's out there, she's waiting for _our_ sorry butts to need saving."

"I know. But..." Gabe bit his lip. "What if _she_ needs saving?"

Before his father could say anything Trinity leaned forward again, and looked at them for permission to speak. When they both nodded he went on. "Look...If Ana is anything at all like her mother, then you've got nothing to worry about. Nothing at all. She makes Xena the warrior princess into an Ana wannabe."

Angelus grinned, but Gabriel didn't laugh. "There are certain advantages that we have, Trinity, that Gwen didn't."

Trinity shook his head. "Ana doesn't have any powers--"

"That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about what sets us apart from regular humans." Gabriel opened his eyes and looked at Trinity through frightened, haunted blue irises. "I never emphasized this in our previous conversations—if I ever brought it up. Gwen was human. Regular ol' human, with nothing physically special about her except her spitfire tongue and beauty, and a bit of hand-to-hand combat expertise. Nothing compared to Angelus when he was mad. Certainly nothing compared to the Fallen."

Trinity nodded. "But if Ana is anything like her, then that shouldn't be a problem. She will be waiting, for you and Ana. Don't you think she'd fight for you? Don't you think she'd fight for her? She has her family to keep her going, and her memories, and in ITEX sometimes that's all you need to keep going, to keep fighting. She'll be waiting.

"Isn't that what we did as kids, Gabe? That's what you've been doing all these years, what I've been doing—Gwen is better than both of us combined. She'll be strong." Angelus lay his hand on Gabriel's arm. "But you've got to be strong too, Gabriel. _Gabri 'el--_'strength of God'. You chose that name for a reason; because you could believe, and be strong. You've got to believe that Gwen's out there, and you've got to be strong."

Listening to them his arms had came down from resting over his face to drop down by his sides as he watched them, now his head drooped forward and he closed his eyes. He was tired suddenly and leaned on Angelus. "I know. I know." He smirked. "She always called me a wuss."

"And then you made sure I knew only _she _could call you that."

"Well, you can be thick sometimes." The two adults laughed; Gabe's was, although soft and high for a man's, beautiful. Trinity found himself smiling as well and it gave Angelus a feeling that Gabe would be alright now. But just in case...

"But you know, bro... You're not alone in this. As soon as our kids have theirs, you and me are off to kick ass and get our wives back. And have more kids."

Trinity shook his head. "Dad!"

"It's the truth! Don't you want a baby sister or two?"

"With—with my own kids on the way? What the _hell_ are you smoking?"

* * *

"Hello, doctor_,"_ Zachary said, holding the umbrella towards the overweight man, who didn't move to accept it but kept walking as if expecting the younger one to keep it above his head. Zach could infer this from the glare he received when he in fact did not keep up, nor try to. He knew he didn't like the German just from the nauseating smell of Snickers coming from him. He didn't need the attitude on top of it. Curling back his lip in an only half-mocking sneer, Zachary thrust the umbrella towards the fat geneticist. "You'll find that my information is more important than your umbrella, _sir._" It was with a sense of relish that he let the German take the umbrella, and let the man's _"Humph"_ of contempt hit his ears.

"Vell?" he demanded. "Vere iz our car?"

"Right this way, sir!" Zachary hid his smile behind his back as he turned and led the way into the rain, his collar turned up and his head bared to the elements in what the other man considered a very _American _way. He shouldered the umbrella and set off at a brisk pace, attempting to remain prim but failing due to the speed at which Zachary very literally waded through the airport pick-up's ocean of water and cars and flying luggage.

"Vill you vait?" the German shouted.

Zachary shook his head. "You hurry up, man! Karen's still there. If we don't hurry, there won't be an experiment for you to take over."

The man huffed, but seemed to put more effort into his trudging. Finally they got to the car, and the man seemed to realize that he'd have to open the door himself.

"You're learning," Zachary said in fake surprise, but the man didn't hear, or didn't want to grace him with an annoyed look.

Zachary revved the engine and received instant gratification in the form of a slight widening of eyes in the face beside him. "Your briefing begins now," he purred over the sound of rain like bullets against the wind-shield. "Lucifer is the only of the Fallen that you're allowed to experiment on, due to the fact that he's been damaged and contaminated. The other Fallen are at your beck and call, but you can't sleep with them, you can't kill them, maim them—or do anything that you would do to any other experiments. If you consider them humans, they'll do anything you'll ever want them to."

"Vat iz nice to know."

"Indeed. The Grotesques remain with their creator. If you need them for anything, send a notice and some Fallen to me and I'll arrange for however many you need to be prepared. Then, of course, any questions regarding the avian experiments, the Fallen, the Grotesques, the lab—all queries can be directed at me. The others at the facility aren't nearly as nice."

Another _"humph"._

Zachary couldn't hide his teeth-baring smirk this time. The man glowered at him. "And who ahr you exactly? I do not vike ze tone zat you ahr taking vith me."

"Oh, no one in particular. Just a humble--" A snort interrupted him. "Alright, maybe not so humble. I'm the best geneticist in the United States, and the second best in Europe. Can you guess my name, or do I have to spell it out for you? Most people get it wrong, you know."

"Zat is fine! Vould you just tell me your stupid name?" A scowl was sent Zachary's way.

"Professor, Doctor, and President Zachary Moore. _Sir." _Zachary chuckled darkly at the sudden pallor in his companion's face. "What, scared? I only bite women, unlike you. What's this I hear about you and Batchelder?"

The other man shuddered. "He iz a fool. Az am I."

Zachary's eyebrows shot upwards. "Huh. Do I detect a streak of humility in your tone? Amazing."

"You ahr famous zoo-out all of Germany, Doctor Moore." The accent butchered both his name and his title and Zach had to resist cringing. "I admit zat I vas greatly impressed vy your vritings on the Alva-Veta-Omega and Delta experiments."

"Really? That's a surprise."

The man laughed. "A surprise, iz it? You are more humble zan you admit. Vy vould it be a surprise, Doctor Moore?"

Zach shrugged and stuck out his lip nonchalantly. "Eh, dunno. Just kinda got that vibe when I heard you were most...how should I put it? Nonplussed? Unimpressed? Aweless, unaffected, unamazed, unastounded, unawed, undazzled, unmarveling, unruffled, unstirred, unsurprised, wonderless? Unruffled's good. I heard that you were most _unruffled_ by Beta when you met him a few years back in Germany."

"Vat ahr you talking about?" the man demanded.

"Plays a mean harmonica?" Zachary laughed out loud and began explaining, his voice all too thick with glee and maniacal delight as he watched the man's reaction.

Roland ter Borcht's face paled.

"Zat…zat…vailure was your Veta?"

"Has that not already been explained? I was under the impression that you understood most English, or was I wrong in assuming?" Zach cocked a haughty eyebrow and peered up at the taller man in a way that made ter Borcht feel like an infant.

"Vell...you know vat they say... To azzume iz to make an azz out off you and me."

"I didn't know we were donkey's Borcht. Don't assume things yourself, _I'm_ not like Batchelder."

"I hope to _God_ zat you are not!"

"Well, I assure you I am not bi like he is, and neither am I gay. Sorry to disappoint."

"Vould you stop vat?" ter Borcht's face became a deep shade of lilac. "Vat I vant to know iz if Veta iz az much off a vailure az I vought?"

"I dunno. He's pretty sweet in my opinion." At the German's flabbergasted expression, Zachary prodded on with, "You know, sweet as in wicked? Cool? ...You really have no idea 'bout slang, do you? God..."

"I know slang!"

"German." Zach rolled his eyes. "And no. Fang himself, separate from Beta seems to have his own strengths about him, but seems to prefer staying out of the limelight, which shows wit. And Beta… Beta is everything ITEX always dreamed, even with Batchelder's mess up making things harder than they could have been." Roland sat back deep in his seat, and Zachary could very nearly feel the conflicting fear, anger, and disgust rolling off of the German in waves. It made him smile a bit more, icily, and he gave a wry little laugh. "Oh yes. Beta is a killing machine once let loose. That's the only hard part—letting him loose. But either way, he is no failure." He arranged his face carefully. "Why, Borchie, you don't look well. Am I frightening you?"

Gravely, ter Borcht nodded. "I only hope vat your Luciffer iz not nearly az perffectly conformed to the ITEX ideal az Veta iz..."

Zachary felt as if he had been slapped back into reality. The game was over. It was time to sober up; and they were drawing closer to the facility parking lot.

"You needn't fear," he said bitterly. "Lucifer is the song-bird to Beta's Fury."

* * *

Sable pushed the door open without knocking, and then led everyone inside. "The Flyte's are here!" she hollered. Immediately, she was engulfed in a mass of Christmas knitting, old lady perfume, and goth chicks.

"Hey, Trin-eh-tay!" A tall boy on a couch waved at them, proudly displaying his bright green cast for all to see.

Trin grabbed Iggy, who grabbed Ella, and Trinity dragged them over to the teen. "Pyro, meet pyrotechnic fanboy and masochist."

"Just because I can't stay on my skateboard--"

"Understatement! Last time you broke your leg. You've broken _that _particular arm of yours fifteen times!"

Ana was swept into the mass of old ladies and one less-goth chick, who carried a baby on her hip, and was immediately surrounded by a mass of cooing women who provided unasked-for tips on parenting. Beth found herself dragged after her for support, so of course KIX had to follow. Angelus and Gabriel migrated towards the beer and wine with the other older gentlemen. Their success at merging was obvious, as an uproar of deep laughter rose up from their corner.

Fang and Max endeavored to fight off the goth chicks who swarmed the male part of their couple; Max seemed particularly vicious upon finding that Fang disliked the goth/emo attention. Their little sparring group was watched avidly by Nudge, Alex, and Gazzy. All others—if there were any left—gathered around the punch bowl and food tables and began shoveling slices of various pies, scoops of ice cream, dinner meat of some sort, and other bits of extravagant foods onto their plates.

Having taken a cup of green, foamy ice-cream punch and a small plate of pecan pie, Angel searched for someone to talk to. She found her quarry in Dom, and began her stalking.

The dark boy was smiling at something Alex had said, but he hadn't had the good fortune (or misfortune, depending) to be involved in any particular conversation. After a few moments of detached wandering, he began to withdraw down the dark hall attached to the kitchen and entryway. Angel followed silently, numbing his mind to her presence so as to watch undisturbed the play about to unfold.

Dominic stepped down from the wooden hall floor onto a fluffy white carpet. He was now in a small living room, warmly lit with a large white Christmas tree in a corner and a fireplace on the wall that shed warm light, heat, and cheer through the room. A white sofa, love seat and an armchair, all white to match the rest of the room, adorned the small place. The only deviation from the snowy color scheme were the presents piled high in vibrant Christmas colors underneath the tree, and their clothes.

In the center of the room was a small coffee table that bore a crystal chess set on its surface. A pawn moved as he watched.

"Your turn."

He sat down behind the black and mused on the colors; he was indeed a black king compared to her snowy perfection. He moved another pawn.

She laughed; he blushed.

"You know, I can predict your every move just from that first one."

"_I bet you could."_

Her smile softened as he watched her fingers, so elegant in his eye, touch a pawn; then alight on a bishop; a castle; and another pawn before resting on a white knight. Bashfully looking up through her lashes, she said, "And you can guess what I'll do next, too."

He closed his eyes and laughed his soft, breathy laugh, stretching sideways along the carpet so that he was closer to her and knotting his fingers in the carpet. Guess what she would do? Impossible. Insane even. To guess at that would be to guess at where the wind would choose to blow, or when the world would ever end....

Velvet touched his face, sweet and fresh and warm like nothing he'd ever smelt or tasted. He wanted to open his eyes and to bring his hand to her face, but forced himself not to for fear of finding it a dream. The only thing he dared to do was to lie very, very still, his breath coming deep and slow. He hardly ventured to move, afraid that it might break whatever spell that had been woven about the room to have changed her mind about the solemn oath they'd taken. He found himself wondering if this was a test and if, he worried with sudden panic, if he didn't move away, would she be mad?

But his fears were soothed as satin touched his lips, pressing ever as gently as a breath of summer; for what was she but the very embodiment of summer warmth in his bitterest winter?

He responded with the slightest hesitance, and even after she blew away his fears by remaining present and alive and real against his lips, he still returned with only the lightest sense of ardor.

When they both pulled away by some unspoken agreement, he opened his eyes to find her shining at him. Both knew it was only a matter of time; this had solidified that in their minds and come to terms, and now he knew now that, indeed, death could not stop them. For what is death to one who has already entered Heaven?

There was no longer a sense of urgent despair in him. He could slip his wings around her shoulders now and not yearn to kiss her with such fervor as what had made him toss and turn and moan in his dreams. Now that her gift had been given to him, he felt the end drawing near but knew that her words were true, and that soothed him. That simple kiss, the slightest touch of mouth, had assured him that she loved him enough to give him a compromise, though he'd have let her have her whole wish and way.

By this small break in the pact, he knew that no longer would she lord her regality and power above him. When previously she had flown above and danced enticingly but ever unattainable on the cloud tops as he looked on from below, she now stooped to meet him half way. And, like the angel that she was, she held out her hand for him to grasp.

Holly didn't wish him a Merry Christmas. Instead she held him close, running her fingers through his hair as he kept his eyes closed and basked in her warmth, and she didn't remark on the way her jeans were becoming damp with gently heated salt-water. It was alright, as long as they were together and they were sure.

It was going to be alright now. That they knew.

And for now, that was enough.


	41. Chapter 38: Cause Effect

_**A/N:** I actually did some heavy editing on this chapter with my mom. I tried to get this as tight as I could (an hour past my bedtime). "Mom, does this make sense? Does it scream Fo--------ing?_ _Does it get across that Angel's future involves this and this and this? What about this? Angel and Fang, what do you think's going on? Who's Holly to Dom? What's up with Dom and Angel? What's going to happen? How can Angel realize this because of this?"_

_I just hope it's good enough for you guys._

_Sorry for the long wait, by the way. The next chapter, the one that D and I are both working on and was originally scheduled to be Chapter 38 is taking a while. It's Alex-centric, will be REALLY LONG, and will send us rocketing forward into The End of Part One and BABIEZ! Woot, right? I hope the inevitably long wait for what is now going to be Chapter 39 is worth it..._

_But for now, back to_

_**Chapter 38 - Casting Shadows and Throwing Stones**  
_

* * *

Dom waved at Holly and joined the others in the air. Everyone was drowsy and the boys were loosening their belts, completely stuffed from Sable's annual family-reunion-Christmas-party. The kids were murmuring amongst themselves about the games and the jokes and the fun they'd experienced, and everyone was smiling. "That was _the best_ Christmas week _ever!"_ everyone agreed.

"Bedtime as soon as we get back," Max said and no one protested, most smiling dreamily at the thought of warm sleeping bags. "Tuck yourselves in and bundle up, the temperature's dropping." She turned her head to Fang and beamed. "I can't wait to crash."

"Ditto." He had his eyes closed and was practically asleep already, flapping steadily.

Dom flapped once to catch up to Angel. She gestured higher, and they both spun upwards for privacy.

_You saw, _he thought to her. She caught a flicker of a warm, fuzzy feeling, and knew he was talking about Holly. She nodded.

_I did._

_Will you tell me now?_ he asked.

Angel turned her face to the wind and closed her eyes, focusing on the steady flaps, the deep strokes, the familiar pull of muscles... Why'd he have to ask her now? Why couldn't he wait? Why'd _she_ have to be the messenger of bad news?

Her fists clenched.

_Dominic, you have to promise me something first._

_Anything._ The agony he was feeling was tangible, even on a simple words-only mental scale. _I promise I won't get mad at you. I won't shoot the messenger._

_Thanks, Dom. But I want you to promise me you won't kill yourself._

For a moment there was silence. Then,

_What?_

She repeated herself. _Promise. You can't. _Angel looked up as best she could and tried to meet his gaze. His face was pale but his eyes were unafraid as he stared at her. His shock faded once he saw the firm line of her mouth. He nodded once.

_I promise._

And Angel knew he wouldn't kill himself. There was no such thing as breaking promises in his mind. He knew he would grieve and long for death, even against his better judgement, if she confirmed his worst fears. Yet Dominic also knew that he had to live. Through better or worse, whether Angel confirmed his worst fears or not, he had to live. If only because if he were to die because Holly died, he would be being unspeakably selfish.

To voice and clarify his own thoughts, because he was confusing himself, Dom said, _If Holly dies... I swear to God I won't kill myself. I swear on_ her_ soul._

_She's going to die._

Angel severed the mental tie immediately and dove back down to join the others, flapping harder to keep up with the front row of fliers. She focused on regulating her breathing as best she could. If she could just keep her breathing steady, maybe she wouldn't cry.

There were two things Angel had ascertained over the past two weeks of pulling strings with people's minds. Now she could make sense of _utterly nonsensical_ series of events she'd caused and she could gather everything into two basic points: Two things were for sure.

Holly _was_ going to die.

Dom _wasn't_ going to kill himself.

Fang's eyes snapped open as he heard her sniffle. He craned his neck to see her, but she shook her head and gave him a sharp mental prod. Clearly, she didn't want him to talk.

_I'm going to soon, Ange,_ he warned. _You _need_ to talk._

_I know,_ she thought to herself, not replying to him directly. _I know, I know. _She turned inward._Would it be so bad to get Fang in on it? _she wondered. _It would be nice for some help..._

Angel cast her mind out, searching the ether of the universe for that familiar flow of Time. It was a slippery substance that ran both fast and slow, that held the answers to every question she'd ever had but at the same time never answered her queries. It was a mysterious place, the River of Time. It was at once inside her, everywhere, and absolutely no where at all.

She had only discovered it recently. She had been naive, innocent, angelic when she'd first been dragged into its flow on accident. Literally, tripping and falling and nearly drowning in it, that had been quite the experience and it had left her both petrified and addicted. For a while, she had a hard time finding it again. It seemed as though she searched in vain. Perhaps it had just been some drug-induced hallucination from ITEX?

But no.

Angel found it after months of searching, but even though she'd strained her mind as far as it could seemingly go, she couldn't just "fall" back in to the Stream. Another stretch of time passed, and her mental abilities grew because of the strains and rigorous exercise she put them through. The harder she trained her mind, the farther she reached, the more she grew. Not only could she read minds, she could control them now. She could talk to fish.

And then she could slip back into the River. It was hard at first, but now she was getting the hang of it and could direct herself through the use of what—in her mind—was like a search engine. She entered a few key images, names, words, thoughts, ideas...and all the possibilities opened up before her mind.

For every person, there was a set of immediate choices. Then more choices, and more and more, branching off into a million different paths that they could follow, a million different ways they could live their lives and leave a mark on the world and affect those around them. These were the visions. Terrible, beautiful, horrible visions.

The most vivid ones, and the easiest to find, were visions of death.

She'd seem them all. Every single death that could have possibly happened to her friends, her loved ones and even the deaths still to come up in the future. And that's when she had begun to change her attitude. That was when she realized she had to grow up and be like Max, be _better than Max._ Otherwise...

Now, Angel was searching for what would happen if she confided all of this in Fang. The first future was the one she always saw. It was a reminder to her from whoever was watching over the River of Time (and there was someone There). If her friends made the wrong choices, if she didn't do something, the end result would be this.

And then there was HER FUTURE. It was there, behind the First Future, never forcing itself on her but always waiting for her to give in to temptation and take a peek. Angel didn't know what she would find, and so far she had been to scared to look... Deathly afraid. The mere thought of it made her begin to shiver, made her teeth chatter.

She knew that HER FUTURE was something to fear, and so she recoiled from these two and reached out her mental hands for the third future. This was the one she wanted. This one had hope, if only she could direct the flow of the lives around her and angle each of their courses just enough.

Staring at it through her mind's eye, Angel tried to figure out the idea of a partner. Someone to rely on and confide in. Fang would be her first choice, but she ran through other names... The changes this made to the future made her stomach rise to her throat. Her heart was already hammering in her mouth.

Feeling her chest constrict, she left the River of Time and came back to herself just in time to land on the roof of Sable's house.

She was the first to climb into the attic, and the first to be dressed in her PJ's. She was the last to fall asleep.

As Fang lay in his bed, she extended her mind towards him. He recognized her touch, but before he could say anything she grabbed hold of him. The elimination of his free will, even for just a moment, both thrilled and terrified her. It was like grasping a large slug in her hand and squeezing until it burst through her fingers—except Free Will was something beautiful. Each person's mind was gorgeous. It was at once fragile and strong, but when Angel was involved they were inferior.

It felt wrong, but sometimes she had to do it. Like now.

She located the memories of his knowledge of what was going on with her. He knew basic points: she had some extra sense, either her mind reading or something else, that was giving her painfully more information. She was acting on this information to try, as best she could, to fix things before they went wrong. She struggled to do it alone, but she needed to do it alone.

Those were the problematic things: because he knew that, he felt the need to meddle and offer his assistance. This was something she couldn't have, and this want to stick his nose where it didn't belong was coming from his love for her. It came from the mix of his position as the Daddy of the Flock and his assumed position of big brother to her. It told him to help her, to care about what was happening, and to pay altogether too much attention to her.

Two things to deal with.

Angel set about ridding herself of the first problem: what he had seen that night. She wiped Fang's mind of what he had seen and heard. He no longer remembered her sniffles earlier that evening. The last thing he could recall was Christmas morning when he found her, promised not to dig any deeper. She strengthened that resolve.

Then Angel reached for another part of his mind, the place where feelings of brotherly (and almost fatherly) concern for her stemmed from. She cupped the feelings delicately in her mind. Almost immediately, she knew it was a mistake.

She hesitated.

She should crush the feelings immediately. Castrate them. It would save her unimaginable heartache and keep him from meddling, but it would cost her her soul and sanity. Did she want to give that up in exchange for feeling better? If she gave up her sanity, the future was sure, obsolete—Death. If she wanted to save her heart from being 'pierced by the sword', everyone else would feel ten times worse.

Was it worth it?

Fighting back tears, she crawled over her sleeping bag and into his arms, releasing his mind quickly so that he could hug her because he wanted to, not because she made him. His warmth seeping into her small body, his breath on her hair... Even though he thought she had just been having a nightmare, nothing out of the ordinary, the radiant love he felt for her was the same as always. He loved her even without a cause to worry. How could she have thought to crush that feeling?

Yes, _this_ was worth it. No wonder she would have gone insane without it.

Angel closed her eyes and hugged him tightly. "I love you, Fang," she mumbled into his chest.

"Love you too, Ange," he said. "We all do."

In that love, Angel found the courage to stop the tears. She mustered up as much courage as she could and knotted her fingers in Fang's shirt. He loved her. They all did.

With that knowledge, Angel looked at her future.

And Angel smiled.


	42. Chapter 39: Takeover Interlude

_**A/N:**__ The long awaited CHAPTER 39! The End of Part One is near! Indeed, after (twenty days!) a long, long time and many crashes, blank pages, and frustration, we are nearly done with part one. We haven't quite decided if this should be the last chapter of Part One...or if we should have the NEXT CHAPTER be it. But who cares?_

_Enjoy. This is a LOT of boring stuff, JSYK. And ** means that that is intentionally OOCish.  
_

* * *

"Your new office."

Zachary motioned towards the door with a wide sweeping gesture, his smirk mocking. Roland scowled as he found that yet again he was expected to open the door himself, but didn't allow the boy a glance as he did so, leaving behind the remains of a Snickers on the handle as he stepped into the room. He immediately turned red and turned on Moore.

"Vot iz zat? Iz zat zome kind of joke! I do not appreciate having zat screaming banshee in my office!"

Zachary peered around the robust man and his eyes narrowed. Emma was getting up out of ter Borcht's chair; as they watched, the expression on her face was too worn out to even acknowledge their presence, let alone pretend to act surprised or guilty. She traipsed along to the back wall and leaned against it, looking off into space and waiting. Zachary glowered at her, but addressed ter Borcht.

"I assure you this was not my doing. Perhaps the screaming banshee should tell us herself."

Emma found the far wall fascinating. Her voice was a monotone as she addressed them, "Karen would like to welcome you to our branch, and would like her well wishes for your stay with us to be known, Doctor. She regrets not being able to greet you herself, but seeing as your escort is…" She trailed off sneering before continuing again on a lighter note. "She didn't want to give way for more false impressions. She doesn't want the fact that you are here due to her understandable mistakes to be the grounds of ruining a possible new friendship." Here Emma leaned back against the wall, even more bored now that the message had been delivered. "I was also to make sure you received a couple files she sent you, one of which is general information—that is not so general, if you get my drift."

Here Emma actually looked at ter Borcht, a wry smile on her face. Even though her eyes were on him, everything about her indicated that Zachary was the object of her speech, that _he_ was not to be trusted.

"That information is not for prying eyes, no matter how bright they think they are."

Zachary glowered at her, but his scowl split into a grin as he saw that behind the calm business façade Roland's face was as red as the chair that sat at his desk.

"I vill zee about zat for myself, later. And am I to assume this iz why you were at my desk, to protect these files and greet me?"

Emma shrugged, nonplussed. "You have a nice nameplate."

There was a tenseness in the air as ter Borcht studied Emma and she refused to look at him again and went back to slumping. He nodded curtly. This was not the same girl as he had seen before. She would not go through his things before he had the chance too. If this branch could tame the screaming banshee and create Beta, then perhaps he had come to the right place after all.

"Vine." He pointed at the other folder on the desk as if he wanted to stab the air. "And vot is zat for?"

Emma tensed, anger radiating from her in waves, and she had to struggle to keep her voice calm, for she was no longer monotone. "Karen wants you to know that what is hers is yours. That's my file. I am at your service."

Zachary could not let this opportunity go. He was aching, and he had to hurt someone, anyone, and he knew how to make Emma hurt. He sneered. "Being passed off again, Emma? You can't get anything right. Not ever good enough, you're a failure."

Her head snapped up and she glared at him, eyes flashing red as he'd only seen a Fallen's do; her teeth were bared and her fists were clenched as she stepped towards him. Despite her height, or lack there of, she looked like a crazed devil. She spat her words at him.

"Oh, like you're so much better, Zachary, Damien, Moore. You can't keep track of anything. You have no control. Not even over your own project—and your promises! They just can't seem to stay unbroken, can they? Always, _always_ broken! Look what you've done!" she shrieked, and Zach had to step back and cover his hands over his ears to think. For once, she was just like Catlyn—not that she knew it. He pulled his hands away from his ears and his face was full of disdain as he glared at her.

"You're out of line."

"Am I? God, I didn't know!"

"OUT!"

They both stopped to look at ter Borcht, his face looking just like a pig's as he grimaced at them in disgust and contempt. "Out off my office! I vill haff none off this!"

Zachary spun on his heel without any offering of friendship or assistance; his previous offer of lending an experiment still stood, ter Borcht knew that, but he would find nothing more in the young doctor.

And somehow, that was more assuring than Karen's warmth. It was with relief that he shut the door behind Emma and with no small amount of anxiety in his mind he reached for the files.

* * *

They were off on their own, in the room where they had first met. Their lips were pressed together as if by super glue, or at least Catlyn's duct tape. Nudge was in a world of bliss, utterly drunk on her own happiness. When Alex pulled his mouth away from hers, it was only to smirk at her roguishly.

"If I'd have known making out with you would have made you so happy, I'd have done so sooner."

"Oh, hush. I'm the one who's supposed to do the talking." She smiled as she pulled herself up towards him, a hand wrapped around his back, a fist gathering the cloth of his shirt. She wanted another kiss, but he leaned away, biting his lip in chagrin at her obvious disappointment and minor heartbreak. He laughed lightly at her expression and brushed back her hair.

"Hush yourself, darling. I've got to ask you a favor…"

She smiled coyly, sure she was about to promise him that she wouldn't tell any of the others, especially Fang, and she wouldn't. Ever. She wouldn't even dream of it—she wasn't the kiss and tell kind of girl, let alone when telling your brother would most likely result in your boyfriend's death...

"Anything, Alex."

He smiled again, but was suddenly unable to meet her eyes. Guilty. "I want you to promise me you won't get mad—"

But it was too late. His guilt had crushed her bubbly mood into smithereens. She was anything but _not_ mad. She was furious!

"What?" she demanded.

He smiled at her, brushing her hair back and trying to dazzle her with a faulty, faltering smile. "I've got to leave," he blurted.

"_What!"_

He blushed and buried his nose in her hair. "When duty calls, I must answer," he sighed. "Or, more specifically, my father called last night, and my secretary demands that I answer."

"Your _what?"_

Alex sat back, still frowning, but more serious this time. "My father and my secretary. Very nice lady, Miss Chase..."

"You have a secretary!"

"I rather thought you'd be more interested in my dad."

"Well... We've all got parents out there. But alright. Who's your daddy?"

Alex twisted his fingers. "It's complicated. He's pretty cool, we get along well enough, but I don't like being tied down to one place. You know me." He paused. "My siblings are quite interesting, high society... Y'see, Nudgie, long story short I got caught by the feds and put in the foster care. Senator Sinclair took me in (this was before he became Senator), and we got along _swimmingly._ I liked him. Very nice man, unlike his colleagues. But anyway, he adopted me and we agreed to let me roam as I want as long as I come when called. And I was called just last night."

Nudge's eyes about popped out of her head. "And you were planning on telling me all this _when?"_

Alex laughed. "My dear Nudgie, didn't you just hear? I just told you."

She put a hand across her forehead and took a deep breath. "I'm going to kill you."

"Calm down, sweetie. I'll be sure to send you pictures of Andy and Julie—they're my silly brother and sister. 'Mother' is a dear, she'll make me a prim and proper young man just for you, delight in giving you pretty pictures of me all spiffy and dressed in that embarrassing, stupid suit..."

Nudge giggled. "A suit? Really?"

He groaned and smacked his head back against the wall. "Why you little... I'm the adopted son of a U.S. Senator. Do you really think I _wouldn't_ wear a suit?"

"Well, the Spanish guy's daughters were Goth..."

"Yes, but I'm not. Do you really expect me to show up to an important conference, brown-nosing my way into secret government scandals, in a wet white T-shirt and skinny jeans?"

"Yes."

"Well then, I guess we know what you think of my everyday attire."

"It's sexy."

He smiled and pressed his mouth to hers again in yet another kiss then pulled away beaming. "Thank you, darling. Now I know I please my angel, and I can leave her in as easy away as possible—that is to say, not easily at all." He leaned his head against Nudge. "I'm going to miss you."

The soft quaver in his tired voice tugged at her heart-strings. She gathered him closer and stroked his hair. "How long will you be gone, do you think?"

"I'll call you as soon as I know," he replied. "From what I gather, though, it will be quite a while... A few months at least."

"A few months?" The disappointment in her voice was evident, and he sighed. For a little while they were silent, just holding each other tightly and enjoying each other's presence. Nudge tried to engrave the moment in her head—she'd only known and loved him for a week or so, and he was leaving already!

"You should be going," she said and pushed him away. "If you'll be gone for months, you might as well leave now. The sooner you go, the sooner you'll be back."

He smiled, sad. "True. And if I don't leave now, I don't think I ever will." He kissed her cheek. "Promise you'll wait for me?"

"Cross my heart and hope to die."

With that, Alex released her hand and...ran smack into the door. "Ow!" As she laughed, he managed to escape, making no other goodbyes before he was out the door and running.

He came to a skidding stop as a limo pulled ahead of him suddenly, interrupting his long run. His heart pounded, thinking it was Zachary or Karen or one of the many other ITEX employees—he laughed when the window was rolled down and his secretary opened the door.

"Are you coming, Alex?"

He opened the door and climbed in. "I thought you said you'd pick me up at the hotel."

"I said we'd pick you up at the hotel an hour ago. We decided just to raid your room and then pick you up from here. Your stuff's in the trunk."

Alex laughed. "I said I'd be there. I didn't say when." The secretary gave a shake of her head and the young hybrid leaned back in the seat to reach for the seatbelt. "If Dad asks, I coerced you into getting me McD's and that's why we're late. Where is he, by the way?"

"At home. We have to get to the airport and then fly you out."

"Damn it. He knows I hate planes..."

"He also knows that you'll want to be there as quickly as possible." The secretary adjusted her glasses, then handed him a touch-phone with an email open. As he looked it over, she continued speaking. "We'll be flying from the San Jose International to Ronald Reagan. Your father has a car waiting for you. You'll be at the usual hotel, but your siblings are back with your mother."

Alex nodded. He'd only paid half a mind to her, absorbed in the email. He nodded again. "Thanks, sweetheart. Are we going through the statement way, the haughty way, or the quiet security?"

"The back entrance." She smiled and accepted the touch-phone back. "We want you two together as soon as possible, and that means the quickest way through security."

He hummed slightly and picked at his shirt, then the leather seat beneath him. "Miss Chase..."

"Yes, Alex?"

"Never mind!" Alex chuckled slightly. "Never mind."

She rolled her eyes. "Alex's got a secret..."

"Miss _Chase!"_ He buried his face in his shoulder and turned his back to her in very fake shame. Aside from a bit of a snort on her part and a chuckle on his, the remainder of the ride to the airport was near silent. When they did get there, though, they got out on the curb with all the other people loading and unloading. The secretary went for his luggage, but Alex shouldered his pack before she could reach it. "Well, Miss Chase?" He dug an elbow into her ribs, garnering a very unpleasant glare as she marched on ahead.

"Right this way, Mr. Sinclair." She took a hold of his shoulder and steered him away from the long security line, and even the shorter first-class security check line. With a cheery smile and a wave of their ID's, they were admitted through a door where there were only three or four security guards and no one else. A quick and thorough check revealed that Alex wasn't a budding terrorist, and then he was on to the plane.

He dropped his backpack onto the floor and tossed his frame into a window seat. "Miss Chase, how soon can we raid the pretzels?"

"Mr. Sinclair," the secretary hissed. "We have company!"

Alex's head twitched up and he colored. "Hm?" He followed Ms. Chase's glare and his own eyes narrowed but he stood anyway and politely held out his hand. The man, lounging across two seats with his legs pulled up and a blanket thrown over his lap, had apparently been sleeping, and was giving Alex a glare that rivaled Ms. Chase's. He made no move to accept Alex's hand, and so Alex dropped it.

The teenager's teeth worried his lower lip (which was sticking out in a very pouty, contrite way) and he clasped his hands in front of him guiltily. "I apologize, Mr. Sarason, if I disturbed you."

"Hmph."

Mr. Leigh Sarason, secretary to Senator Winship and a particularly anti-teenager kind of man, closed his eyes and muttered something that sounded like "Rotten kid" before tugging his blanket closer to his chin.

The flight attendants came by to check their seat-belts and to offer breakfast (as it wasn't even ten in the morning yet), but Alex declined the meal. He did, however, accept a bottle of water.

Ms. Chase sat down beside Alex and discreetly offered him her hand to squeeze during the taxiing. The slow, creeping gate of the plane through the rain was unbearable. Alex fidgeted, tapped his foot, rolled his eyes and drank the bottle of water, gnawing on the cap anxiously every now and then. As they waited for take-off, the cabin seemed to close in on him. He felt too big, the seats too small. The air was too humid and too thick. It caught in his throat and lungs.

And then they were taking off and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end and he squeezed his eyes shut through the initial turbulence. Miss Chase made no sound as she lost all feeling in her fingers, and patted the offending hand soothingly.

Once the turbulence was gone and the seat-belt light went off, Alex released her and unbuckled, grabbing his iPod from his back pack and plugging his ears with the buds. For a few moments he stared at the screen, then he yanked the 'phones off and slipped it back into his pack, sighing.

"What, don't you want to listen to hard guitar and screaming, Alex?"

Alex smirked at Sarason. "Yeah, I would, but my battery died." He shrugged and turned a dazzling smile on a flight attendant at the end of the cabin. "Excuse me, miss, but could I get a scotch and soda, please?"

Her expression of gentle amusement and Barbie Doll smile never changed as she said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Sinclair, but you still have quite a few years—and inches—to go."

"Ah, curses!" Alex stuck out his lip and slouched down, glowering most dejectedly.

Sarason snorted. "Come over here, kid. Have a drink." He pulled off his blanket and moved back to a single seat, leaving the second one in the row free.

Alex looked up at his own secretary. "Do I have permission to--"

"No."

"I was going to ask for a Pepsi, Ms. Chase!" he cried. "I have two more chances before I become the boy who cried wolf!"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, you may have a _diet_ soda, Mr. Sinclair."

"Thank you, Miss Chase."

The flight attendant shook her head and brought over the cart. Alex negotiated a can of Pepsi instead of a cup, and Sarason received a beer. "So, Alex," the man said. "Are you home for the holidays, or have they finally kicked you out?"

"Fortunately for me and probably unfortunately for the school, being kicked out has yet to happen." Alex laughed smoothly. "I'm home for the holidays. And yourself? Why are you on this _lovely_ plane today?"

"The Senator wanted me to arrange some things with the local trading company since he couldn't be here himself. I've just finished up the most urgent business, and now I'm heading back home."

Alex nodded. "Ah, the joys of home...one of the many reasons I enjoy boarding school."

Both laughed, but as he took a sip of his Pepsi, suspicion was rearing its sleek head in Alex's mind. Trading company, in San Jose, huh? The only one Alex knew of was ITEX... Of course, there could be multiple trading companies. In fact, there most definitely were. But the kind of men Sarason and Winship were, ITEX was the most probable.

Alex's skin crawled. "Excuse me," he murmured and set his can of Pepsi down in his seat, then made a beeline for the restroom. He stood in there for a long while, braced against the wall with his head in his hands as he tried to breath calmly and think straight. What would Itex be doing now? Did it have anything to do with The Family? Was his Nudge in danger? He needed more information. Bile rose in his throat. He could do that much, gather information—if this man didn't make him puke.

He splashed his face with some water and once he'd dried himself off he left the (very nicely furnished) bathroom. He smiled cheerily at the flight attendants on his way back to his seat, where all was quiet. Sarason was meditatively sipping his beer, while Chase was reading something on her Blackberry.

Alex had just reached the space between Sarason and Chase when Sarason spoke.

"You heard from your father lately, Alex?"

"No, Mr. Sarason. Dad usually just says a 'hullo' through my siblings' letters and emails. We don't talk much when I'm at school. I'm much too busy to talk, really, so it's my fault."

He nodded. "I can understand that. What is it that you're studying for again?"

"I'm only in high school. We're not quite that specific, but..." Alex smiled. "I want to be a doctor when I grow up."

Sarason seemed surprised. "A doctor? Really?"

The younger boy nodded vigorously. He'd lied blatantly like this for years to hide who and what he was from other people. His own family knew about his origins—ITEX—but most others didn't. Sarason certainly didn't, and ITEX hadn't put two and two together and came up with Alex being Alex Sinclair, the tiger-hybrid adopted son of the U.S. Senator. One of his best covers, Alex thought, was his answer to 'what do you want to be when you grow up?' No hybrid would _ever_ want to be a doctor, so Alex couldn't possibly be a hybrid.

It was a childish lie, but childish lies and adult ones went together hand in hand and created a flawless web of lies. Sarason was just another fly caught in Alex's web.

Alex began to reel him in. "I mean, don't all girls want to marry doctors and lawyers?" Both men laughed. "I actually want to be a surgeon," he went on. "Of course, I dislike the smell of the hand sanitizer and all, but those spiffy lab coats and the stethoscopes... It's pretty cool, and very honorable work, ain't it?"

"Yes, very." Sarason quieted slightly, but Alex 'assumed' he was just tired.

"I'll let you get back to your rest," he said cheerily, and slipped back into his seat beside Chase. She scooted over to let him reach under the seat for his pack again, and when he came out he had his earphones, his laptop, and his cell phone. He settled back against the window so that neither Sarason nor Chase would be able to see his screen (and he made sure it wouldn't be possible for anyone to see the reflection of the screen in the window), and then he sighed. The time on his laptop revealed they'd only been in the air for twenty minutes. He still had four hours and forty minutes to go if everything went well.

And Nudge wasn't online. How in the world was he supposed to survive?

* * *

Sarason and Alex parted ways at the Reagan International and Alex made his way out after Miss Chase to the pick up zone, where there was a shiny black Lincoln Town Car waiting for him. Once he'd tossed his stuff inside and climbed in himself, Miss Chase gave the directions to the hotel—a five star, of course—and they were off.

"Your father says he'd like to meet you at nine for dinner, Mr. Sinclair. Do you have any objections?"

"No, Miss Chase. Which parlor?"

"He says he'll find you."

Alex shrugged. "Fair enough." He reached for the door, and as soon as the car had pulled up to the sidewalk in front of the hotel he leaped out and didn't wait for Chase. He pushed his way through the revolving glass doors and into the warm and _dry_ lobby. His shoes made no sound on the marble and he didn't stand out much, but immediately a man in spiffy hotel clothes came over. Alex handed him his backpack without a word, not because he wanted to boss the man around but because that was the routine, a routine he'd had for a long time. These people knew him.

"I apologize, Mr. Sinclair," the man was saying as they waited for the elevator, "but the penthouse was unavailable. George is visiting, you see. I took the liberty to put you up in the presidential suite."

"And my father?"

"Hasn't arrived yet, but will be staying just down the hall from you. A safe distance where he can't hear your music, but can be called in a moment's notice."

Alex smiled. "Thank you, Bunter."

The other man chuckled and held open the door for Alex, then guided him down the warmly lit hallway to the door to the presidential suite. There, the door was opened and Alex was handed the pass-key. "If you ever need anything, Mr. Sinclair," the man said.

Alex locked the door behind the man and turned to his rooms. The first room, with the main couch and TV and computer desk and kitchen, had a gorgeous view of the city through a floor to ceiling window. The kitchen was marble, the carpet was a dark but warm shade, and the couch looked just as comfortable as a bed. Speaking of beds, the bedroom was very nice. He dumped his things on the mattress, watched them bounce, then walked over to the windows and leaned against the frame. The cool glass induced a rather morose feeling in his chest so he turned away after a few moments. The bureau hid the TV as well as the drawers for his clothes, but he didn't touch it yet. There was also a walk-in dressing room and a door to what Alex knew was the study.

Alex leaned over and turned on a light, then moved back towards the bathroom. Inside there was a television, a shower, a jacuzzi, and a 'bathtub' that was more like a swimming pool. He shuddered at the thought and put his back to it, putting his hands on the sink and waiting for the water to become icy cold. Then he splashed his face, ran his fingers through his hair, and tried to press his shirt collar out a bit more so he looked both dashing and quite silly and lazy. If he was too prim, they'd think something formal was happening (he wanted to put _that_ off for as long as possible), but if he looked any less silly or lazy, they'd think he'd changed over the year and a half he'd been 'at school'. Also not a good thing.

After making sure he was the perfect image of a rather delinquent son of a Senator, he left the bathroom and headed out to the elevator. Time for a drink.

The elevator was completely empty except for him, all the way down to the third floor where the bar was. The bar, however, had a fair amount of people in it. His entrance went largely unnoticed. Good.

He sat down on a wine-colored stool and smiled winningly at the bartender. "Scotch and a soda, will ya?"

"I'll give ya the soda," the man chuckled.

"Aw man... Fine, I guess I'll have to let ya do it... Just don't put one of 'em cherries in it. And make sure it's not rootbeer!"

Alex and the bartender laughed at his antics and both turned away, the bartender to get that soda and Alex to scan the room.

There weren't very many people who he knew by name, but there were a couple. Like that boy over in the corner was Josh Turnstock, a very slimy guy who didn't like Alex much. The feeling was mutual. Josh's sister, Nina, was nice enough but quite whiny. Their parents didn't think Alex was very bright, or a good influence. Or maybe it was that he wasn't a _bad enough_ influence?

Sometimes Alex wasn't so sure.

The attitude Josh Turnstock and his parents had in regards to Alex was shared by many of the other children Alex knew. However, there were some who were better. Like the boy coming up to him right now...

"Hey, Sin." A black haired young man leaned against the counter and nodded at Alex. "You just get here?"

"Yeah. You?"

"Same." His eyes went from his face to the faces of the other men and women around the room. "Glad you're here. Don't like the thought of hanging out with my mom and all of these guys by myself, y'know?"

"Totally," Alex agreed. "I can deal with these losers, but my dad? I mean, seriously, Matt. He's so uptight. He won't let me do _anything._"

Matt pursed his lips and stared at Alex hard, trying to communicate, '_You're so dead.'_

"Apparently I allow you enough freedom to bad mouth me."

Alex found himself turning around and looking right at his father, who had slipped into the seat beside him without him realizing it. Hiding his presence from Alex was a game they played that he only won half the time, and he was the only person to be able stand a chance at winning the game thus far. Alex's ears turned red in chagrin while he flashed his father a winning smile.

"Hey Dad, you know teenagers these days are never grateful."

"Maybe I'll just adopt you out…get a nice little Italian boy."

Alex groaned. "Dad!"

"Maybe Asian?"

"Just because Ryan's cooler than me doesn't mean you get to trade me for a YouTube star."

"But you admit that he's cooler than you."

"He has seventy million times more followers than I do. That makes him cooler. But still!"

The senator shrugged. "Cooler is cooler, and I'm sure he'd enjoy your allowance."

"But you don't let me spend my allowance!"

"He'd probably still be more grateful than you are." The Senator gave a mocking smile that told both Matt and Alex that he knew about how Alex spent his allowance. The flush in Alex's ears spread to his face.

Matt took one look at Alex's flustered expression and doubled over laughing. "Jeez, Alex!"

Alex gave him a shove, and Matt fell off the stool and onto the floor, smacking his head on the metal leg. That only made him laugh harder, though, clutching his head and still cracking up. "What are you laughing at now?" Alex demanded.

"Myself! You!" He accepted Alex's offered hand, and stood.

Matt turned his luminous eyes to his friend's father, the corners crinkling with a cheeky smile and tears of laughter spilling over. "Hey, Senator Sinclair, how about I take him off your hands for a bit longer? We're having a thing at my mom's house... From Friday to Monday, all weekend."

Alex found himself shaking his head at Matt's antics. If something was funny, Matt found it hilarious. That was annoying enough. But if Matt wanted something, he gave cocky _puppy dog_ eyes. That really annoyed Alex. Why lower yourself to a whining, begging dog when you could be a cool cat?

Alex turned to his father.

"I apologize for my behavior," he said solemnly. "You know I only meant half of what I said, and what I did mean I don't actually care about. You give me more than enough freedom, and I acknowledge that I often abuse it. I would completely understand if you wouldn't let me go to Matt's party..."

The Senator gave the boys a rather amused smile. "It's fine, Alex." He turned his head away, but couldn't keep his eyes off the too-serious face of his son. "You can go. Just stop buttering me up, alright?"

He watched as Alex's lips twitched and a dimple was notched into that elegant cheek. "Thank you, Dad."

"And you have to come with me to dinner tonight," the adult added. "You promised. Ms. Chase told me so."

Matt poked Alex in the back, and Alex scowled. "Fine," he said as miserably as he could, adding just a hint too much to let Matt and the Senator know he was joking (mostly). "Fine, I'll come to dinner. Is it time _now?"_

"Yeah."

"Fine." He dragged himself up and poked Matt's shoulder. "Stop. Poking. Me."

Matt poked him again. "No."

"I'm leaving!"

"You forgot to ask me something."

"Wait, what?" The Senator and Alex both looked at Matt expectantly. "What'm I s'posed to ask you?" Alex snatched Matt's hand out of the air and used it to poke its owner.

"You know, about that special member of my family who's sitting in her room, sighing and writing poetry and doodling hearts with your name in them..."

Alex spun on his heel. "I'll tell you when I get to your house!" he called, and ran out of the room as fast as he could.

Matt shook his head. "Scaredy cat," he remarked to the Senator, who raised his eyebrows.

"Should I ask?"

"No."

"Should I torture him about it?"

"If you ever run for President, Senator Sinclair, you have my vote." Matt stood and shook hands with the Senator. "Run him ragged for me."

"I'll try, but I doubt I'm as good as you at it." Senator Sinclair smiled warmly and Matt laughed again.

"It's easy, just keep poking him as you're killing him with your questions."

"Thanks for the tip." He held out his hand for Matt, but found that his mighty paw completely engulfed the small, thin hand of the teenager. Matt looked up at him in awe, but still smiled. He remained smiling as the Senator turned to the door.

In the frame, he turned back to Matt. "Your sister?" he called. Matt nodded vigorously. The Senator smirked, saluted, and disappeared down the hall in pursuit of Alex.

He continued to smirk as he caught up with his son. "So what's this about Matt's sister that I'm missing?"

"She's four and a half, Dad," Alex muttered as he peered around a corner. "She likes me much too much, she's whiny, and he finds it amusing." Deeming the coast clear of young ladies and old slime-balls, he stepped forward and allowed his father to fall into step beside him. "Where are we having dinner?"

"I was thinking my room, actually. So she's four?"

"That's what I said, wasn't it?"

"Isn't she a bit young for you?"

"It's not my fault I'm hot."

The Senator snorted as they settled down to wait for an elevator. "Speaking of that, how's your luck with that flirtatious schmoozing you do?"

The elevator arrived. "It earned me a very..._catty_ remark. One of their..._vicious_ felines decided to give me a swipe. Or sixteen... Or more..."

Senator Sinclair winced. "You're alright?"

"Yes."

"Will you tell me more about this delinquent behavior of yours over dinner?"

Alex scowled at him for his choice of words and stepped out of the elevator. "Of course."

"Of course." The Senator opened the door to his room. "Go ahead, take a seat."

Alex kicked off his shoes and tossed them into a corner, then his jacket was flung onto the back of a chair. He sat down surprisingly elegantly and looked over at his dad, who had disappeared into the kitchenette. There was the sound of a microwave's buttons being pressed. Alex laughed.

"What an American dad," he thought aloud. "Microwaving a homecoming dinner."

"It's the only way to eat," he agreed as he came back into view, his own shoes now missing. "It'll be ready in a couple minutes—now, what have you been up to Alex?"

Alex shook his head. "Wait a couple minutes for the food, and then I'll tell you. That way you don't have to leave to get it and my tale won't have to be split into two parts."

His father leaned back against the nearest wall and smiled. "Well then, how have your _other_ adventures gone?"

"I have had many an escapade involving girls. There's this one chick in California... She's... God, she's..."

Mr. Sinclair grinned. "Sable, really? She's finally giving you the time of day? Now that _is _a scandal."

Alex nearly fell out of his chair. "Dad!" he cried, aghast. He floundered for words for a few moments, then settled for a baleful wail of, "Dad!" again.

His Dad's smirk didn't get any less evil. "Well, tell me about this! How did you and Sable come about?"

Alex buried his face in his elbow. He drew a rattling breath and said, painfully enunciating each syllable, "Sable has a boyfriend. His name is _Luce._ That's another story."

"It's a wound, I'm salt, I get it. Stop being a drama king." He disappeared briefly as the microwave beeped. Then macaroni and cheese was being set on the table, and Alex was snatching up a fork and grinning like a devil. The Senator coughed. "Manners."

Alex crossed himself, said a short prayer, and then attacked his share of the mac-'n'-cheese. His father ate slower, studying it. "Have you ever had fried mac-and-cheese?" he asked without warning.

Alex wiped his mouth. "Sable's mom makes baked macaroni, it's really good, but I dunno about fried..."

The senator nodded. "Fried is good too. We'll have to fix it for you sometime."

Young Mr. Sinclair put his fork down and looked up at his father. "Frankly, I never thought Mom would have anything _else_ to cook for me. She has a million recipes already... But she keeps surprising me."

"As long as she's alive, there will always be some recipe to be discovered." The Senator folded his hands in his lap. "Enough about food. How about you begin explaining now?"

"Ah, well, you see...there is this darling, Nudge....she's an angel..."

"A darling nudge?"

"No, Nudge! That's her name. Nudge!"

"Good, because if you started going on about your little nudger I would have to be concerned."

Alex hissed through his teeth, flushing yet again. "This is why I don't come home often," he grumbled.

His father laughed. "You know I'm teasing. But, this girl...Nudge. Now, is she like you?"

"She's an _angel."_

"Ah." He nodded. "I see."

"She teases me like you do, although I would have to say I enjoy her company more than I do yours."

"Mhm. When should I be expecting angelic grandbabies?"

Alex massaged his forehead. "Speaking of little angels soon to be arriving," he continued loudly, choosing to ignore his dad, "Trinity and Ana are expecting."

"They won't be my grandbabies, but they will be adorable." He took another bite of his meal. "How are they holding up, Trin and Ana?"

"Now _that's_ the complicated part."

His dad frowned. "How so? If they've made the young ones, then I'm assuming things have finally been worked out between them and they are married--if anything is wrong with finances then you know that is not an issue. We can get the money somewhere for whatever care they need."

"Money doesn't fix everything."

"No, but it helps."

Alex fidgeted with his napkin. "Anyway... They're not actually _married..._ You see, Trinity is the _Alpha_ male, and Ana is his perfect match. And the institute decided that from an early age, you see. Once they figured out that Trinity was being a rebellious little teenager, they decided they'd get his kids to be better than him. Luckily, Trinity straightened out and took a break from the school and he and Ana are settling down until the kids are born."

"Plural?"

"Twins."

"Wow..."

Alex shrugged. He ran his tongue over his teeth. "And with his alpha-male syndrome, Trinity has found his beta—his brother, Nicholas, and their father. Nicholas is very much a _beta_, but he does have more_ dominant_ tendencies. He in turn has a perfect mate, Max. Nick and Trin and their dad are probably going to look for their mom as soon as the kids are born and settled."

Casting a searching glance at his father, he continued with, "All of their friends are having fun and pairing off. Keven and Beth, Kate and Jason—Jason's the group _omega_—and so on. I think Dom's with Sable's cousin. At least, that's what Sable and Nudgie were giggling about when Dom and the cousin in question came out of the back room together..."

Nudgie?"

"Nudge."

"Nudgie Nudge Nudge..."

"DAD!"

The senior Sinclair spread his hands invitingly, and then leaned his elbows on the table. "Alex! Tell me more about your girlfriend. I have a right to know." But he couldn't hide his smile, even behind his serious tone.

Alex's voice shook with barely contained mirth and embarrassment. "Dad, I'm trying to tell you about the important events in my life and all you can think about is my girlfriend!"

"Well, I _am_ your father," he teased, and leaned forward towards Alex. "So tell me, is she pretty?" He grinned at Alex's face. "She _is, _isn't she? My boy fell for a pretty one!" He began laughing. "Oh, what will you do if she's the female version of you, the big bad womanizer?"

His son's face paled. "I should hope she's not a womanizer. Or—or—I mean!" He covered his face with his hand. "You bring out the worst in me!"

"My dear boy, it's not that hard." His father gave a toothful grin. "So she's pretty. Her name is Nudge. You care about her enough to hope she's not like you—why, for you that's like meeting _your _perfect match. Especially if she's willing to put up with you."

"Especially," Alex grumbled, and crossed his arms over his chest, picking at his sleeve. His leg bounced against the side of the table and made the flowers on it tremble. "She's amazing."

"I know how much you like your adjectives. The fact that 'amazing' is all you can come up with is just proof of how much you like her."

"Does that mean you'll be nicer to me?"

"Alex, I'm your father. Never." At Alex's resigned sigh, he decided to lay off for a bit. "But continue. Trinity, Ana... Nick and Max? Should I wonder about these wild rides of yours?"

"No, I don't think you should. They're relatively nice and pleasant. There are a few spats, but it's mostly fun."

"And what about that catty remark I was hearing about?"

Alex bared his teeth, including the pointed canines, set further back in his smile but still there and flashing. His smile grew as his dad's eyes zeroed in on the fangs.

"All in good time, Dad. Don't you want to hear about the hot nurse at school?"

* * *

Finally, Alex dropped his head onto the tabletop. "The machines are gone now." His voice was muted in the cloth but his relief was evident. His father leaned back in his chair and exhaled heavily.

"Three hours," Alex moaned. "Three stinking hours of surveillance!"

"Good thing we had dinner early," his father sighed. "I'd rather not have to stay awake past midnight, hungry, trying to catch everything I missed in that confusing code-speak of yours."

"Code-speak? You want to hear code-speak? That wasn't code, that was me trying and failing to get my point across. Let me just tell you the damn thing." Alex sat back up, folded his hands in his lap, and began telling everything he'd heard and experienced in the past year and a half he'd been away. He recounted his trips across Europe and his new familiarity with (more) pain and (near) death in as sparse detail as he could, and then set off into a long and intricate retelling of the various Family members' lives and adventures.

Finally, he began summing things up with what he knew of ITEX's plan to take over. When he'd finished, he stood and pulled up his shirt to show his father the 'catty remark' on his back. He dropped his T-shirt and put his hands on the back of his chair. "Now it's your turn, Dad," he said.

Mr. Sinclair leaned farther back in his chair studying his son. "It's not good Alex, I'll tell you that. Our adversaries in ITEX have just had a new health care bill passed, and it's anything but good. Not that goodness or morals matter to them, but I had hoped it would be that they would hold sway over others instead of money and power or social standing, but apparently that's not so and I am poorly mistaken. I'm afraid this bill will make it even harder not only on you and others like you, but for everyone."

Alex shook his head, face alit with chagrin. "Dad, you're giving another speech. Just tell me what exactly is going on please, that'll make it easier to understand." His father laughed and shook his head.

"Alright. I'll try not to sugar coat anything, you've never been one for sweets…besides your Nudgie of course."

"Dad!"

The Senator stood and walked over to one of his briefcases; he pulled out a few papers and shuffled them. "The health care bill passed in the Senate, and it will certainly pass in the House as well. If it does, the basics of what will happen are as follows." He cleared his throat. "The elderly will be convinced that they are a burden on society, social security, etcetera and urged to commit assisted suicide and donate their bodies to science to 'help' the younger generation. Taxpayer money will go to abortions, but the young women will be given an option and encouraged to give up their embryos to science, free of charge, and may actually get paid a handsome sum.

"To sum up the next three hundred pages, ITEX is setting up a smooth and steady path to taking over the country. First will come some sort of panic that they cause, that they're completely in control of—but the public won't know, so they'll panic. The most obvious way to do this would be to create a virus that is potentially fatal without a special cure, and ITEX will urge, via the government, for people to turn themselves in to be experimented on to 'find such a cure'. More test subjects for them… That sort of stuff.

"They'll create a false scarcity of something, like gas or food, so they can easily control the public. Take gas for example. There won't really be a shortage, but for every three barrels of oil ITEX will take two for themselves and their workers, and leave one for the public. They'll order a rationing of gas. They'll then ask everyone to sign up for a government run system for more 'effective' rationing. They'll do it for health care too, so that they can have the information for everyone and anyone. Anyone who doesn't exist—Ana, Trin, Fang… If you guys get hurt, you can't just jump into a hospital and beg for help without getting caught. If rationing happens for food, your safe house system is going to starve. Literally."

Alex shook his head. "This is bad…but knowing The Family, they'll find a way, and it's our job to help them. Should we start storing supplies? How unusual would it be for us to buy things in bulk now, say that we're saving for expense later, and then as it gradual disappears as we send it to the safe houses say that we ourselves are using it? No, I know. Rationing takes from that… Perhaps we could take surplus that would otherwise go unnoticed? Or perhaps we could be like the Greenfield's—they take so called 'damaged goods' and then either use them or sell them at reduced prices for their own profit. If we could get into that business now, would we stand a chance at being able to provide unnoticed in the future? Or perhaps we could get into shipping, and every time or so a shipment could get misplaced or corrupted or lost or stolen…accidentally of course. And as for services such as care and hiding…it simply ups the risks, and everyone is aware of that already. Things will be provided for somehow, no matter how tough things get."

"You seem to have already been planning for this…"

"I recently had nothing better to do but listen to the insane ramblings of a lunatic."

"Joey?"

"It was a long trip."

"Speaking of that..." The Senator sighed and ran a hand across his face. Alex eyed the light bags under his father's eyes and nodded. "I think it's time for bed," he said. "Have breakfast with me, and then I suppose you're off to Matt's house?"

"Probably, yeah," Alex said. But we'll be back soon enough. And knowing you, you'll show up at dinner one of the days to help me schmooze... Anyway. I have a nice, heated room to look forward to. Night, Dad?"

"Night, Alex."

* * *

"Alex come on! She's waiting for you!" Alex was brought back to reality by Matt laughing at him as he held open the door. "And if you really don't want to see my darling sister, just give her that Hannah Montana poster I gave you to ward her off with. Of course, giving it to her would make her pine after you even more…"

"Shut up Matt."

Matt followed Alex inside and the two walked upstairs to Matt's room, where Alex'd be sleeping over. They kicked off their shoes and Alex was in the middle of unrolling his good ol' fashioned sleeping bag when they heard a low, girlish giggle from the hallway. Alex tensed and put a fake smile on his face,

"Jennifer!"

The Kindergärtner giggled again and leaned against the door post. "Hi, Alex," she said bashfully.

"Would you like to hang this up in your room, Jen? Matt's told me what a fan of Hannah you are; I hope you already don't have this poster?"

Her eyes widened to a gargantuan size. "Ye—No, no I don't, Alex. Thank you so much, I'mma gonna go put it up right now!" she grabbed it and ran down the hall.

"I thought you said she didn't have that poster!" Alex hissed.

"Maybe Mom got it for her while I was out, I didn't know, I swear!" Matt held his hands up. "And it doesn't matter anyway. Mom won't notice the difference, Jen will hide the evidence..."

"Of course." Alex rolled his eyes as he got up to close the door after her, and then he flopped on Matt's bed beside his friend. "So what's up?"

Matt's face became cleared—or rather clouded. He propped his chin on his left hand, and stared Alex in the eye. "Josh Hillard's coming."

Alex, having relaxed, now tensed (again). "Why the Hell is the ITEX intern coming?" he hissed.

"My freaking mother invited him," Matt replied. "Apparently _his_ parents are schmoozing mine. They're nearly converted to ITEX."

Alex elbowed his friend. "Then it's our job to try to convert them back. But for now...do you see any reason they have for coming other than to have a schmooze fest?"

"Anyone and everyone who's to-do is coming to do something. Meet up and schmooze with each other, schmooze other others, and other than schmooze, conduct secret meetings." Matt sighed. "You know how many secret meetings there are at things like this. You and I have conducted enough of them to know. Josh Hillard's no different."

"Yes, but is there any wind of any secret meetings we should be taking a particular interest in?"

"Josh Hillard has a friend he's inviting. No one knows who it is. And when Josh Hillard's involved..." Matt leaned closer. "The new guy's from ITEX. He's not arriving until the second day of partying. That's all I know."

Alex nodded. "So do we target Josh as our main schmooze or would that be too obvious at this point?"

"Too obvious," Matt agreed. "Josh hates your ass."

Alex laughed. "True...but what if we played it like you were taking an interest, like a soon-to-be-convert, and I could be tagging along since your my friend...?"

Matt suddenly perked up. "And you could try to convince me, we could have an argument, I could leave with Josh for a bit and schmooze some more, and then I can get eventually excuse myself to go make up with you..."

Alex grinned widely. "Perfect, isn't it?"

"Isn't it?" Matt sounded off. "Now we just have to make it work..."

"Do you want to plot it out?" Alex laughed. "I'm better at being spontaneous, but we both know how you are."

"Nah... This'll be better as spontaneous. I don't know Hillard enough to plan out the conversation." Matt reached over under his pillow for something, but Jennifer appeared in the doorway again. The boys looked up at her.

"Mom says dinner," she said.

"We're coming." She nodded and trotted off, Alex turned to Matt. "Come on, before your mother drags us off to dinner herself."

The dark haired boy smirked. "I know how much you want that. Hottest Congresswoman third year in a row, 'member?"

"But--"

"And she's single." Matt was blushing a little at his own jokes, and Alex was getting ready to (fake) punch his lights out when he realized something.

Oh, that's _right,_" Alex drawled. "You don't know about Nudge, yet!"

"Nudge what?"

"Nudgie is not a what, she is a who, and I'd tell you about her, but then you'd try to steal her away from me—and I wouldn't blame you. She's amazing."

Matt's mouth popped open. "But what about Sable?"

Alex flushed crimson and threw his hands in the air. "What is _with_ people and me and Sable?" he demanded.

"Well, _you _pined after _her _for one thing, and you acted like you'd never get over it..."

"That was ages ago though!" Alex pushed into the dining room. "And I did get over it..."

"Get over what?" Jen looked at Alex, he smiled widely.

"Nothing that matters, your brother is just being a dork. Can you make his life torture for me before he drops something that should have been forgotten long ago?"

She nodded. "Uh-huh. I can put my posters in his room!"

Both boys guffawed, and Matt and Jen's mother smiled as she set the last plate on the table. "After dinner, Jennifer," she said placidly. Alex sat down beside Matt, across from where Jennifer and her mother were sitting. He looked up from where he was spreading his napkin in his lap to see Jennifer grinning cheekily at him, and he gave a slight twitch of the lips in reply before getting sidetracked by dinner.

"Hey Mom, is it alright if Alex and I head out for a bit? I promise we'll be back long before it's time to get going."

Matt and Jen's mother shook her head. "No, I'm sorry Matt but I need to keep you both here otherwise I'll lose track of you, and I know how you boys are when it comes to keeping track of the time. Can you do something around the house?"

Matt shrugged. "Sure. We can probably find something in my room."

His mother smiled. "Alright. Have fun."

"Yeah, come on Alex!"

Jen perked up as her brother waved Alex on. "Can I come too?"

"Jennifer, I thought you wanted me to do your hair?"

"Oh, yeah…" Jen glanced regretfully after Alex, but turned towards her mother. "Can I have braids?" Her mother nodded and Matt elbowed Alex painfully in the ribs.

He forced a smile. "I think you'd look very pretty in braids, Jen."

She smiled brightly and bounced happily. "Thank you! Mom, can I have the braids? Please?"

"Sure, sweetie, whatever you want." Their mother was smiling kindly at her daughter, but her amusement was apparent. "Come on, let's get started while the boys hed off to do manly men stuff."

"What kind of stuff?" they heard Jen ask as she was led into a different room.

"Yeah, Matt. What kind of manly men stuff?"

"Manly men stuff as in the thing I wanted to show you earlier, and now we won't have Mom and Jen breathing down our necks. Come along my fellow manly man." Matt made sure to lock the door behind them, and he jumped on his bed and reached under his pillow again.

Alex grinned and flipped on the TV. "Horror movies and leftover Halloween candy, Matt? You know me too well."

"Tell me about it." Matt tossed Alex a couple snickers bars and set the candy bag between them. "So what do you wanna watch? The Breed?"

"Yes, I'd just love a show about evil psycho dogs."

"With rabies."

"Yeah, evil psycho dogs with rabies."

"They're smart."

"They're dogs."

It suddenly dawned on Matt why he was getting Alex's death glare, and he burst out laughing. "Dude, alright, no zombie dogs for the scaredy cat. What do you wanna watch? Twilight?"

"Werewolves."

"Werewolves it is."

"Hey!"

* * *

Alex adjusted his sunglasses so they rested on his hair, and threw up his collar. Although it was indeed warmer in the house than outside, it was still quite cold. The heater had been broken all morning and only been turned on recently, and it was taking a bit of time to heat the large house.

He drew closer to the fire, where a group of congresswomen were gathered, talking in hushed voices. His keen hearing picked it up easily.

"Look at that _beautiful_ boy!"

"He's such a wonderful kid. A bit of a delinquent in his studies, and a bit more delinquent in his behaviors, but he _is_ very nice…"

"Look at that smirk!"

"I think that smirk means he's heard us!"

Alex was indeed smirking at the congresswomen's hushed conversation.

Yo, Alex!" Matt came over again, grinning. "Stop showing off and get over here!" Alex laughed.

"All you want is for me to come over there so that you won't embarrass yourself in front of a bunch of hot girls."

"Yeah, because it's so much fun showing off, come on Alex. You're taken, it's not like I've got to worry about you flirting with whoever I decide to crush on."

Alex brushed up against Matt's shoulder, muttering, "Really? I thought schmoozing was all about flirting no matter your sexuality—or theirs!"

"Yeah, you schmooze, I schmooze, and sometimes I crush. It's not a bad deal."

"Surprising you think that, considering you haven't had a girlfriend yet."

Matt's ears turned pink. "Shut up, I'm not a womanizer."

Alex elbowed him cheerfully and then jerked his chin over Matt's shoulder. "That Hillard there in the hoodie?"

Casting a glance that way, Matt shook his head imperceptibly. "I don't know who that is. Could it be his friend?"

Alex narrowed his eyes at the thought. "It's possible."

"Keep your eye on him, Hillard might meet up with him later."

Alex nodded. "For now, then," he purred, "let's go schmooze the ladies!" He kicked Matt's shin and then spun back towards the congresswomen, smiling as sweetly and coolly as possible.

Matt rolled his eyes and headed straight for the pretty brunette who was hanging out with her friends. Her name was Hayli, and her parents (her father a member of the House) just happened to endorse ITEX—plus, she had been Matt's crush for about a week now.

"Good morning, Mesdames!" Alex said to Hayli's mother and many familiar faces of the women of the House and Senate. "How are we today?"

"Marvelous, Alex." They smiled warmly, Hayli's mom glancing off after her daughter in amusement.

"Has Matt taken an interest in my daughter?"

"Miranda!" Another member of the House shook her head. "Can't you see the puppy dog eyes he has set on her? Of course, she'll break his heart within the week, but look how sweet he is! Much better than her other options, well, most of them anyway." She smiled at Alex. "How are your studies?"

Alex pouted. "I was hoping to find an escape here at home," he sighed. "If you must know, my plan to become a doctor is rolling smoothly along."

"Sorry to remind you of school, but I'm glad to hear your doing well. You've chosen a fine career path."

"Although, what with this health care bill I'm not so sure," one Representative said, and then bit her lip. "My apologies for bringing work into the conversation."

"Don't worry about that." Another waved off her worries of work. "There's nothing wrong with the bill, it's just all these false rumors flying around filling everybody's ears that's worrying people."

Alex made sure that his minute scowl was visible for a split second before it was carefully arranged into a mask of impartiality. The women cast worried glances between themselves. "What's your opinion, Alex?" one asked.

"Nothing of consequence, of course," a voice said.

Alex turned to smile politely at the eldest Hillard. "Of course," he said icily.

"So, you're back." Hillard examined Alex callously.

"Yes, and with plenty to show for my efforts."

"One wouldn't have known," the elder of the two remarked. "You look and sound the same as last we met."

"Not all changes are those that one can perceive." Alex's smile was tight. "My grades have made a great improvement."

Hillard shrugged. "From what, Dumb to Fantastic?"

"From a lesser Awesome to a grand Amazing if you must know."

The congresswomen chose that moment to intervene at this point. "Boys," one said sharply.

Alex let chagrin wash over his face as he turned back to face them. "Sorry, ma'am." He cast a pointed glare at Hillard and his words were slightly stiff. "I know I should know better than to let such things irk me. I apologize."

"Apology accepted."

All gazes turned to Hillard. Hillard chose just then to take notice of his friend and brushed them off with an indifferent sorry.

Alex sighed and pulled out a seat. "Apology accepted, Jay," he called towards Hillard, and received hunched shoulders in reply.

The congresswomen shook their heads. "How rude."

"I'm sure he's just had a bad day," Alex said graciously.

The woman from before shook her head. "Only if he's having them every day, he's been like that ever since he started hanging out with that crowd...You know the one. He used to be a good boy. Not perfect, but not entirely that bad either. But now..."

"Hush," another snapped. "Nonsense."

The women exchanged looks, and Alex could see a distinct line drawn between them. An uncomfortable silence settled on the group. Alex bit his lip.

"Oh no," a Senator said in a hushed voice. "Is that _Matt_ and Jay?"

Alex's head snapped up. "What?"

Numerous fingers were raised to point, and Alex's eyes narrowed. True enough, Matt was being slowly but surely coaxed away from Hayli by Josh Hillard and his mysterious hooded friend. Alex stood up as Matt cast a glance over his shoulder; Alex's fists clenched in white-knuckled fury as Matt looked back at Hillard and nodded.

Alex took a deep breath and forced himself to sit back down. Immediately, at least six hands appeared on his shoulders and back, and on even touched his hair. "Calm down, Alex," the women soothed, obviously used to dealing with their own children.

"Don't worry about it," one of them said. "Matt's your best friend."

Alex nodded and ran a hand through his hair, blowing out his cheeks as anxiously as possible, his eyes troubled. "He was the first person I met… After I was adopted… He didn't care that I was just off the streets… He's been my best friend for years." He bit his lip again and didn't continue.

All the listening congresswomen, even the ITEX-loyal ones, cooed sympathetically. "We've all had friends like that," they assured him. "We've all had rough patches, but we've stuck together. You and Matt will be fine."

"Why don't you go talk to him?" one of them suggested. "Keep your temper down, mind you, but talk to him. I'm sure if you tell him, he'll understand!"

Of course, the women agreed wholeheartedly. Of course, Alex knew that if this were a real situation it would never work—boys simply were this emotional and dramatic off-screen. But right then, all the world's a stage…

After some hesitation and stalling, Alex agreed and stood, wringing his hands, leaving the congresswomen whispering anxiously behind him.

"Excuse me," Alex said quietly. Matt and Hillard looked over at him, the hooded boy—it was a boy, around Alex's age—didn't look and his face was kept hidden from Alex. "Can I speak to Matt for a minute?"

Matt opened his mouth to talk, but Hillard cut him off. "After I finish," he snapped. "He's in the middle of something." Matt closed his mouth slowly, and glanced at Hillard, unsure.

Alex nodded.

"Continue, then."

Josh's eyes narrowed, then shrugged and turned back to Matt. "So as I was saying, ITEX is working on a cure for Transient Nervous Mental Dysfunction. They've found that embryonic stem cells from embryos of one hundred to one hundred and fifty days old, the stem cells found in them are perfect for such a cure. They estimate that in about five months to a year, they'll have made the final breakthrough—"

"How old were they again?" Alex asked.

"One hundred to one hundred and fifty days old—"

"Isn't that five months?" Matt queried. "Four, five months… They look like actual babies at that point, right…?" He glanced at Alex and he nodded.

Josh Hillard hurried to explain. "What does it mean that they '_look'_ like babies?" he said smoothly, and more nicely than Alex had ever heard him talk before. "They can't think on their own, they can't talk, feel, remember…"

"That's not true!" Alex hissed. "That's _not true!"_

Matt and Josh turned to him for a split second, Matt with extreme discomfort on his face, and Josh with utter loathing. "My father is a biologist,Alexander," he snarled. "Don't you think that I would know what's true and not true about life?"

Alex ground his teeth, biting his tongue so hard that tears sprang to his eyes. "Like Hell you do," he muttered. "Matt, who do you trust more? Me, or him?"

"He's right, Alex," Matt mumbled to his shoes. "His dad would know more than you do…"

For a moment, there was silence. Alex stared at Matt with his mouth open in surprise, appearing for all the world to have had his entire world shattered around him. "Matt…"

"I think you should just go, Alex," Matt said softly. "I'll catch up with you later…"

Alex looked from Matt to Josh; Matt's face was scarlet with shame and embarrassment, while Josh was triumphant, gleeful.

With an expression of one who is completely lost, Alex turned around and headed in the general direction of the congresswomen. When they saw his expression a few of them leapt up, others gasped. Seeing this, Alex turned and headed down the hallway. The women sat back down, obviously he needed some alone time…

After a little bit longer, Matt, harassed and already embarrassed, excused himself hastily and ran after Alex. Josh turned to his friend, scowling, and then swore under his breath as the congresswomen cheered to themselves under the pretext of celebrating some part of one of their contemporaries' stories. Josh Hillard turned to the door to the library and went inside with his companion; Matt noted this as he left the room.

"Alex?" Matt questioned as he opened the door Jennifer said Alex had gone through. "Oh my God, are you alright?" He rushed inside, leaving the door open in his haste to reach his friend's side.

Alex wiped at his face furiously. "I'm fine!" he snapped. "What are you doing here?"

Matt sat down beside him and looked at his hands. "I came to apologize. You were right… I should have known you were just looking out for me. You wouldn't try to lead me off course, I should've trusted you." He clenched his fists. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Alex rasped. "I…I shouldn't have made it so awkward…"

They were silent for a moment. "I'm sorry," they both blurted in unison. They laughed sheepishly.

"You wanted to talk about something?" Matt asked after a bit. "Before Hillard went all stupid?"

Alex nodded. "Yeah… Let's go up to your room for a bit, though. I think I need some chocolate."

"Great idea, mate."

They headed to Matt's room quickly, heads down as they avoided everyone's eyes on their backs and ducked away up the stairs. When they reached Matt's room Matt shut the door after them and sat by it. He grinned at Alex, waiting for the all clear to speak freely.

"Candy stash is under the bed, like always."

"While I was joking about the chocolate," Alex drawled, "I do appreciate your offer. Ooh, Starburst!"

Matt laughed. "Are you planning on a sugar high?"

Alex chose to ignore that, tossing the candy bag over to Matt. "So, what'd you find out with your schmoozing? I thought your act was brilliant."

"Nothing really. He's just trying to convert me to his way of thinking right now. He's basically being a jerk and showing off, but there's something going on and I know it includes that friend of his. There's some meeting, and he invited me to it. I think he's reveling in the fact that he's hurt you rather than playing it safe. I got him to let me com invite you along to, he wasn't to pleased with that of course." Matt shrugged.

"Did you get a glimpse of his friend's face?" Alex asked.

"No, why?"

Alex tapped his fingers on the bottom of his shoe for a few seconds, then shook his head. "I guess we'll just have to find out. When's the meeting?"

"Right now." Matt scowled. "He's hurrying right along. He said he'd wait on me, but how much do you want to bet he won't?"

Alex grabbed a fistful of Starbursts. "Let's go then." He jumped for the door, and then paused. "Do you think they'll lighten up if we bring some for them…? Nah." He shook his head and turned.

Matt considered this for a moment. He left his bedroom with a bag of Skittles.

They met Hillard downstairs by the library. Alex took care to just-nearly-but-not-quite hide behind Matt's back as they were led into the library. There was only the hoodie-wearer, Hillard, Alex and Matt there.

Alex immediately drew back towards the door, but the hooded figure had appeared there and closed it. The lock clicked.

It went largely unnoticed by Matt and Hillard. "Matthew, I'd like to introduce you to D. Riddle. Riddle, could you take off your jacket now?"

Riddle walked past Alex, very nearly bumping in to him but jerking his elbow away at the last moment. Alex bristled

Riddle shot a dark look at Hillard. "You sure you want me to do that? I'm not taking heat for it later if you change your mind."

Hillard hunched his shoulders. "Are you questioning me?" he snapped.

Riddle held up his hands. "Hey, hey, I don't know what classifies as an insult around your friends here. I'll shut up and listen. Promise."

"Then do it." Hillard sneered. Riddle obeyed, shrugging out of his jacket.

Alex's fists clenched, and his legs threatened to give way. Riddle appeared normal enough, although his ruby red eyes and matching burgundy hair were a bit out of the ordinary. His skin was pale from years in ITEX, at least that was Alex's guess, but his smile as he looked at Alex was not normal. His teeth were perfectly straight, his skin was perfectly smooth; his smile was that of a serial killer, someone so _insane_ that they had perfect, absolute control over themselves, to the point of _sanity…_

And that wasn't all.

Wings. Riddle had wings. And not only that, but along the back of his neck was the barcode, and he had the ID scan-code, and the scars. Riddle stretched out his wings to their full extent. They were black, almost the same shade as the Fallen's, but there was a tint of blood red.

And if that wasn't enough—he had another pair. _Four wings._

Four wings that were now being shown on display by a very bored Riddle, causing Hillard smirked at Matt. "Didn't I tell you this would be an interesting meeting?"

Matt's chin was on his chest. "I-I…He…You…" He looked at Alex, Riddle, and Hillard helplessly.

Alex and Riddle ignored him; their eyes had locked, and both of their pupils had shrunk to inhuman slits. Hillard hadn't noticed, and Riddle didn't realize it was out of place—he was too caught up with the smell of Alex's fury, and some familiar aspect of the young man's scent. He couldn't pinpoint it, but…

Alex stared back at him for a few more seconds before getting drawn back to Matt and Hillard, with Matt gasping out, _"What the Hell!"_

Hillard grinned. "I told you I have more authority on science than Alex. Riddle is one of the projects I mentioned before briefly." He turned to Riddle. "What do you think of it, Riddle? Being a hybrid?"

Riddle shrugged. "It's fun enough. I get to look freaking cool, ya'know? And I doubt anyone could compare to me. It's special. I'm unique—I'm valuable. It's fun."

Matt shook his head in disbelief. "Those scars were fun to get? And the bar code? And the wings? You chose that, and you thought it was fun?"

Riddle was caught off guard. "I didn't chose," he said. His voice was halting. "I—I mean…" He cast an almost frightened glance at Hillard, who was white with rising frustration. "Everything has a price, and it's worth it," Riddle finished hastily.

Matt shook his head even harder, addressing Hillard. "What are you thinking? He didn't have a choice. This is science? He's sentient!"

"He's a project. Think artificial intelligence."

Alex glared at Hillard, but quickly looked away and kept his mouth shut. If he spoke now he'd give them away. Matt shot a look at Riddle before returning his attention to Hillard again. "What's the point of this?"

"You see this?" Hillard asked. "The scars go case-by-case. We have projects like this who are flawless, who are beautiful and unblemished. Perhaps I was wrong to bring Riddle as an example—but we do have hybrids who've never experienced pain. They're beautiful and strong and invulnerable to colds, and most diseases and sicknesses. They're a new breed, a prototype of what every American, what every human could be! ITEX would give the entire world a new lease on life, give them a life of fun and health and a chance. Don't tell me you don't want to have wings like that, don't want to run faster, breathe deeper…"

Matt bit his lip and looked down, looking at Alex out of the corner of his eye for help on what to do next.

Alex's fingers curled into a fist, but it went unnoticed; his face remained calm. "But what about the people who aren't perfect? Who don't want to be?"

"There's no need to worry about them." Hillard laughed as if Alex was beyond stupid. "They'd just die eventually anyway."

"You do realize you're talking about your own father, and even yourself!" Alex snarled. "Unless you're some sort of hidden mutant, you're 'not perfect' either!"

Hillard laughed. "But I want to be, and we have the authority to be one of the first ones perfected once we've got things down. We just need prototypes first to see if it's safe for the rest of us, and see what's better. It's just testing, and the projects aren't people, so there's no problem."

Alex looked at Riddle furiously. "If you let him say that, then maybe he's right. You're nothing better than a specimen in a Petri dish. Spineless freaking piece of—"

"SHUT UP!" Riddle grabbed Alex's shirt and pinned him to a bookshelf. "What the Hell do you know?"

Alex grabbed one of Riddle's bony wrists and twisted, simultaneously bringing his free arm swinging up; his elbow landed right in Riddle's solar plexus, and while it didn't wind him it did stun him and cause his wings to go slack as well as his grip. Alex swept Riddle's legs out from under him and landed heavily on Riddle's back without regard for the large wings there.

He dug his knees into Riddle's ribs. "Obviously I know more than you. Now I'm going to get up and I want you to keep away from me, and Matt. I'd advise you to make yourself scarce while you still have some hope left."

Riddle's wings struggled against Alex's inner thighs, but Alex squeezed tighter and glared up at Matt and Hillard. "I think we should leave, Matt."

Matt began backing towards the door. "Thanks, Josh," he was saying. "Really, thanks for all this." He gave Hillard a look that could be translated as, _If Alex wasn't ruining this for me, I'd be totally in._

Alex shot Matt a dark look, but kept his eyes on Hillard as he backed out of the room, taking Matt with him. He had no regard for Riddle. "I mean it, Hillard. Stay away from us."

The door closed, and Alex pressed his ear against it immediately. For a few moments, he was silent, hardly breathing. Then he turned and put some Starburst into his mouth. "Sorry 'bout that."

Matt shrugged. "Don't worry about it. Should we go camp out in my room now or try to blend?"

"Your room," Alex said, but it was obvious he was distracted. "I'll be right there, you head up without me…"

Matt gave Alex a long look. "Are you going to do something more stupid than usual?"

That brought Alex's gaze back to him, serious and pale. "Yeah. And I'm trying to make sure you're not collateral damage." Matt opened his mouth to protest but Alex shook his head. "It's fine, Matt. Just head to your room, I'll be fine. Save me some more starburst."

"Why does that sound like an Epic Goodbye?" Matt muttered under his breath as he turned around.

Alex rolled his eyes. "It is not!"

But then Matt disappeared around the corner, and Alex was left standing alone in the hall. He didn't want the episode to occur inside the house… It'd cause too big of a disturbance, and it'd be harder to fight back…

Alex pivoted and headed for the nearest window; this side of the house faced the not-so-popular side of the grounds… Perfect.

He slipped out through a side door and strolled back lazily, waiting for Hillard and Riddle to take notice. He knew they wouldn't leave him be if he was alone. No bully can resist an easy target.

It took a few moments, but then a hand clamped over his mouth and a fist was being slammed into his chest. The air would have been knocked out of him, except he'd stiffened himself and gave a muffled shout that counteracted it. He brought his elbow back into the person behind him's gut, and his other hand flew out with the momentum to bury itself in Riddle's jaw.

Riddle reeled back, but was back to pounding on Alex in an instant. He took a swing at Alex's head, but Alex dodged easily, throwing Riddle off balance. He hooked his foot around Riddle's and slammed into his back, throwing him to the ground.

But then Hillard was on top of him, and something collided with the back of Alex's head. His vision wavered, and then another thing, feeling like a brick in hardness and weight, crashed into his teeth, and then his gut, and then he swore he could feel someone's _fingers _sticking into his ribs…

Alex jerked away. He was shaking his head in an attempt to clear it, and struck out blindly connecting with someone's jaw.

And then he heard a familiar click and he froze. Riddle was on top of him, pinning Alex's arms on either side of him, and his breath blowing across Alex's bloody face. Standing above them both was Hillard, a handgun pointed at Alex's forehead.

Alex began laughing. "Go ahead, Hillard. What the hell you waiting for?"

"Don't think I won't, Alex," Hillard growled. Alex kept laughing.

"Please, if you were going to you would've already. Besides, what good would it do you? You might not have to put up with me anymore, but you'd get caught. You're not capable of killing me anyway."

Hillard gritted his teeth and gestured to Riddle. The red head moved quickly and just as soon as he'd let go of Alex's arms, his foot had come careening down against the side of Alex's skull and darkness followed immediately.

* * *

Alex woke later. Only this time he was inside and in Matt's room, on his mattress/sleeping bag on the floor. He could feel large band-aids and gauze taped onto his face, and his knuckles were bandaged as well. As he struggled to sit up, he could feel bandages constricting around his chest. He hissed in pain, and Matt tossed a bag of Starburst at him.

"Hillard's gone for good. Man, you were out."

"Not surprising," Alex grumbled, refusing the Starburst for now and accepting a glass of water. "What's the cover story?"

"We're saying that you fell down the stairs and out the window. Riddle and Hillard made it look pretty realistic."

"…They gave me the BELLA SWAN cover?" Alex was aghast.

Matt smiled thinly. "Yup. Thought you were never gone wake up there, Bells."

Alex growled low in his chest and looked back at his knuckles. "Does Dad know?"

Matt shook his head. "Not yet last time I heard, but they were planning on calling him."

"'Kay… Any broken ribs?"

"Nope. You got lucky. The most that happened was that there was a 'shard of glass' that slit your side open and something was stuck in there. Doctor says it was probably a branch that hit you on the way down, and that it was removed cleanly…"

"Eh. Riddle's fingers are bony like twigs. I guess it fits." Alex grimaced.

Matt wrinkled his nose. "He did that? Crap. That guy must have some girly finger nails."

The boys snickered, and then lapsed into companionable silence. Finally, though, Alex began pulling himself up and reaching for a new change of clothes. "Anything on TV?"

"Let me check." Matt turned it on, revealing that the last channel he'd been on was the local news. Both boys stared.

"Not that picture!" Alex mock-sobbed. _"Nooo!"_

* * *

Back in California, Nudge was sititng in the living room reading a book on the sofa. The TV was on in the background and she hadn't been paying attention to it—until a familiar name was mentioned. She looked up and her eyes widened at the strange sight on the screen, displayed in a large, clear photograph…

"Is that Alex? In a suit?" Sable asked, gawking.

"Holy schnitzelsticks!" Nudge squee'd. "He looks so _cute!"**_

* * *

Matt snickered. "When was that taken?"

Alex tugged at his hair. "Noo…_Mother…_I'm going to…Ughh!"

"That's all the explanation I need," Matt said smugly.

"Oh yes, it's so funny. Not really though when it's compared to the picture your mother took of you, is it?"Alex smirked at him.

Matt's cheekbones were suddenly flushed, and he smiled abashedly. "Well, Sable and Beth liked it…"

"That was before both of them _got boyfriends._ And besides—you were half naked, idiot. How does that effect your reputation, remember?"

Matt shook his head. "You are a cruel person Alex if you would bring that up around Mom."

"Psh." Alex finished buttoning his jeans, and then reached for his shirt. "I'm not that mean…I guess…"

Now Matt smiled. "Good, cause if you were actually that mean I'd have to set Jen loose after you."

As if on cue, the little girl materialized in the middle of the room, her eyes wide and focused on Alex's bare chest. His T-shirt was in his fist, just having left the mattress at his feet, and he hadn't put a belt on yet so his jeans were loose. He flushed.

"Jen!" Matt exclaimed through his sudden laughter. "Knock next time!"

Jen flushed as she turned to her brother. "I was worried! And if you didn't want me in here than you should have closed the door!"

Alex took advantage of her turned back to put on his T-shirt and grab a belt. "I am _never_ going to live this down, am I?" he mumbled to himself, and then put his burning face in his hands. There was something hilarious about it all…hilarious and mortifying.

Matt steered Jen out of the room. "Stop bugging us and go tell Mom Alex is up." Turning back to Alex, Matt grinned. "No. You're never going to live that down."

"Because everyone needs to know your little sister stared the one time she caught me without a shirt and a belt."

Matt lost his smile immediately. "You pervert! That's not what I meant!"

Alex shook his head. "Don't say something so that it can be turned around so easily. I'm sorry."

Matt sighed and sat down. "I'm sorry too. Okay. Now that that's settled… You going back to the hotel soon?"

"Probably. While you do live close, it's not close enough to the action for me."

Matt nodded. "Do you want us to give you a ride?"

His friend sat down and thought about it for a few moments, then shrugged. "Sure. Do you think you could snag a room at the hotel and hang out there for a week or so? A few months?"

Matt snorted. "Yeah right."

"Aww, man. Well then, you can just meet me there in the mornings, right?"

"That I can do." Matt nodded.

Alex smiled. "Sweet. Then can we head back now? I'd like to explain the goings on to my dad."

Matt nodded and picked up Alex's backpack for him. "I'll drive." He grinned victoriously at Alex's surprised face. "Yes, I got my license!"

Alex backed away in false horror. "How many pedestrians have you hit?"

"…How about we go add some more to the count?"

"Jaywalkers, here we come."

They left the room laughing maniacally.

It was an amusing drive before they reached the hotel, but when they did Mr. Sinclair greeted them warmly. "Matt, good to see you. Alex, are you alright? I just got a call."

"Aww, I'm fine, Dad," he said. "You know me. Indestructible, for better or worse." He grinned cheekily.

"He's fine," Matt and Mr. Sinclair said in unison.

"Of course I am, and it's a good thing too since Matt can drive now." Alex shook his head. "Dad, can you believe that? What is our world coming to?"

Mr. Sinclair held out his hand for Matt's. "Really? Congratulations!"

"Thank you, Mr. Sinclair. I've worked hard for it—even so far as restraining myself from hitting those jaywalkers."

Alex rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, what a saint…"

"Exactly." Mr. Sinclair laughed. "I expect you to try to do the same, and stay off the sidewalks."

Alex and Matt exchanged looks of shared surprise. "Does that mean I can try for my license too?" Alex asked, shocked.

Mr. Sinclair shrugged. "Let's try a learner's permit, and I want a Driver's Ed course taken beforehand."

"You hear that?" Alex exclaimed. "I'm going to get you, Dream Car! You'll be mine, mine!"

"He's finally cracked," Matt sighed to Mr. Sinclair. They watched Alex bounce up the stairs and into the hotel, still cheering and singing. "You had to push him over the edge, didn't you, Mr. Sinclair…"

Mr. Sinclair shrugged. "I'm sure you helped. How many starburst did you let him have?"

"…That has nothing to do with it." Matt began to inch away, a sheepish grin stuck on his face.

Mr. Sinclair shook his head. "So you load him up with sugar and send him home yet again...one of these days, Matt, one of these days I'm going to get you back."

"And that is exactly why I'm running away! See you later, Mr. Sinclair!"

"Bye, Matt, although you're just giving me more time to plot!"

Matt had a hard time getting into his car, he was laughing too much. Mr. Sinclair watched until the car had disappeared down the street, then he'd turned back toward the hotel and was asking for the direction his son had gone.

"Straight for your rooms, sir. Now, what's this about him going on about a 'dream car'?"

"Nothing, Alfred. Nothing. He's high on Starburst. You know him..."

"Ah, Matt strikes again..."

"Indeed." Mr. Sinclair stepped into the elevator, and to his chagrin found that _someone_ had pressed all the buttons, causing it to stop at every floor.

"Darn that boy."

When he finally reached their rooms, he found their door locked. He knocked, chuckling. "Alex, you do know that I can still get in don't you?"

"Not if I have a barricade against it!" Mr. Sinclair tried the door, and found this to be true. He rolled his eyes.

"Where in the world did you get this idea?"

"From my friends at school, where else?"

"If you have a starburst stash in there…"

"…Thanks a lot! I just realized I didn't have any, and I locked myself in without any!" Alex wailed.

Mr. Sinclair had to lean against the door he was laughing so hard. "Let me in and I'll get us some to share."

There was the sound of furniture scraping across linoleum, and then the door was thrown open. Alex grabbed his dad's hand and fell on his knees. "Please-please-please-please-please!"

Here Mr. Sinclair laughed so hard tears came to his eyes. "In the closet, I hid them from you."

Alex zoomed to the closet, and Mr. Sinclair closed and locked the door, still chuckling to himself. He found Alex curled up on the sofa, the bag of Starburst on his lap. "So, Hillard was there," he said calmly.

Alex popped a Starburst in his mouth. "What he say to you?"

"Nothing much, of course," the Senator said. "Just a polite how-do-you-do. But I'm guessing that he and his red headed friend did this to you?" He nodded at Alex's marvelous black eye and many bandages.

Alex shrugged. "More or less."

Sinclair sighed. "What happened?"

Alex chewed for a moment, then, "He was trying to recruit Matt, Matt pretended to be interested, but brought me along and I was a total jerk and messing it up for him. The red head's name is Riddle, and he's…new. He's an experiment. New. Really cool, if he wasn't out to kill me for being right about him being a total wimp and making himself be a non-person by his own will…"

"So you had a big mouth and tried to force him to your way of thinking, and then it didn't go well for you."

"Close enough."

Mr. Sinclair shook his head. "Wonderful. Is your plan to have Matt infiltrate, with you still on the sidelines? That's not a position you seem to like."

His son fingered the fabric of the couch, then said, "It isn't. We were really just setting Matt up to be spoken to, given a bit of an inside vantage point on the goings-on of ITEX. It depends on what happens, if anything, but I'll probably pretend to be completely in the dark about Matt's 'true loyalties' so to speak. But again, that's if he's approached again."

"He probably will be, and he'll be eager to. Did you find out anything new besides Riddle?"

"You know that entire thing about making an elite, perfected human race? It's true, apparently."

Mr. Sinclair rolled his eyes. "Of course the bad rumors are always true, never the ones about world peace and the like."

"Tell me about it."

"Mhm."

There was a long silence as they both retreated to their own thoughts, and the silence was broken when Alex fidgeted, reaching for another starburst discreetly. "What's next?"

Mr. Sinclair shrugged. "We can only wait and watch...and fight it with all our soul..."

* * *

And so they did, and the world watched with them.

The day after New Year's proved to be a day where a good percentage of the population threw up eggnog and alcohol, and it wasn't just the ones who were hung over from celebrations. Within a week, it was declared a mysterious illness that everyone should be wary about. Three weeks after that, it was declared an epidemic and given a name, 1DD16. People panicked, and Germ-X sales skyrocketed.

People with the disease were asked to come in for observation, to "help find a cure". Nearly all of them died in the hospitals, but enough were still living and falling ill to create an urgent need for a cure, any cure.

Healthcare Reform was instituted immediately to help "everyone get the cure, and the preventative shot", passing after much resistance in the House and very little in the Senate.

The first up for the preventative shots, and the first in line for hospital beds were the young. The elderly and infirm were counseled on dying before they got the disease, so that the young and healthy could be spared from brushing against them and possibly contracting the illness. Those who did accept the death proposal were also persuaded to donate their bodies to science to help "create a more effective cure and preventative drug".

But then it was revealed that the disease—virus, germ, whatever—had leaked into the imports and the foods; because of this, food had to be inspected carefully before being put on the shelves. Nearly three-quarters of the food produced never made it into the store, having been deemed "contaminated". Rationing was called for.

Food prices went up. Fewer people could afford their sustenance, and the community saw this and cared, even if the government didn't. Those who could indeed afford food bought everything they could, and hoarded it away in secret, distributing it to those who couldn't buy their own.

But ITEX employees and politicians never went hungry, and it was obvious to those who paid attention where the "contaminated" food was going.

Those who were charitable and shared their surplus food had to hide it, for if the Inspectors came to call everyone was sunk. Hoarding food during this ration was a crime ("ruining the already delicate economy"), a crime punishable by jail time—and rumors had begun to whisper in the shadows that the jails had turned into near concentration camps, run by strange scientists and immoral guards…

And because of this, the mutants and their safe houses were strained. Many hybrids were forced to beg door-to-door and risk exposure, but Distributers were numerous and their hearts were large. They offered the hybrids not only food, but places to hide when the Inspectors (searching for hoarding, distributing, and mutants and—later, rebels) came a-calling… Like the Underground Railroad, the hybrids were hidden.

And the rumors spread. The American people were growing aware that something smelled fishy by March, when the whispers increased in volume.

They knew that if ITEX had their way, oil prices go up and then because of all the rationing, citizens would be urged to register with the government oil rationing program (a new organization) to make safe, fair rationing easier. The government would then say it would be a whole lot safer and easier for everyone to simply register health care too. And then they would suggest getting rid of private hospitals, because if all the government hospitals were merged and the private "opposition" erased, it would save lighting expenses and provide everyone with the same, high quality care…

But to register involved giving the government access to every minute detail about your health, your lifestyle, your goings on… In turn this made it harder for the mutants, and at the same time gave ITEX plenty of new "patients"…and still the whispers remained whispers, and the fear grew but wasn't made manifest.

They knew this would happen. It wouldn't take a genius to figure it out. And why no one seemed to yet of the general population was beyond those who realized the danger… But it was only a matter of time.

And then ITEX came out into the open—it was a tactfully worded press release, all about furthering human development and securing world peace and genetic perfection…and there were relatively no outbursts.

Even so, beneath the outward expression of calm and submission, the Rebellion was stirring.

And in late April, all Hell broke loose.

Fights and riots broke out over food, shelter, and gas. With the revelation of ITEX, the reality of hybrids had become known. They were painted as wild animals and terrible monsters, and insane. They were poor creatures that deserved to be reported, etcetera. And just in case people saw through this lie, the Barricades were set up at city limits to search for mutants, rebels, weapons, and hoarded food. Raids were made on houses at random, searching for the same thing and the makings of insurrection.

In the beginning of May, ITEX took its first blow.

* * *

"Doctor Moore! Doctor Moore!"

Roland ter Borcht was doubled over, pudgy hands on his knees, in an attempt to catch his breath and manage to articulate what was wrong. His panicked mannerisms and red face revealed that something, indeed, was wrong.

Zachary really wished he had one of those instant-reaction alarm buttons—or an easy button would be nice—for moments like this. They seemed to be cropping up a lot lately…

"Doctor Moore, the Fallen have threatened to leave!"

It took a second for that to register. With a slightly unbelievingly laugh, Zachary scoffed, "Really? What happened?"

"I haff been notiss-zing an undervying air off unhappiness and frustration and haff been doing all zat iss in my power to make zem happier—but all off a sudden, zey haff cornered me and given me a propozition; eye-zer I releass Lucifer and let him and go free, or zey vill do it zemselvez!" Anticipating Zachary's next question, he puffed out, "Zey haff zet a zirty minute deadline!"

"Show me to them immediately," Zachary snapped. "And where's Emma?"

"Juzt down ze hall," ter Borcht panted out, running after the taller young man. His short, meaty legs struggled to keep up with the doctor's long, purposeful strides.

"Emma!" Zachary barked. "I know you hate me and all, but the Fallen are rebelling. I want you to guard Lucifer and _make sure he does not escape."_

Emma barely even nodded before she disappeared down the hall, her dark curls bouncing innocently behind her.

"Take me to them," Zachary said to ter Borcht. "Who's in charge of them?"

"Zoë."

Zachary faltered before he picked up his pace. "ZOË!" he roared.

"In zere!"

Zachary threw open the above mentioned door and was met with a pitch black room. He couldn't smell anything, see anything, hear anything, or sense anything except the darkness as the door shut silently behind him—the only sound was the soft click of the automatic lock…and damn it…the lock was on _the outside…_

A single pair of luminous ruby eyes flicked open, revealing a feminine slant.

"You called?" Zoë purred, and that was the last thing Zachary heard for a long, long time.

* * *

Zachary awoke to find Emma cradling his head in her lap. When she realized he was awake, she dumped him on the floor and stood in a slow way that revealed her pain. She was covered in bruises, but her skin was broken only along her cheek.

"The Fallen have escaped," she said hoarsely, "with all the other experiments except Lucifer. Karen, the scientists, and I were no match for them—but I held them away from Lucifer. He's in quarantine right now, sedated."

"Good job," he said wearily, and put his head in his hands. "Emma, what are we going to do?"

She stared at him with blank eyes. She, didn't, care.

"I don't know," she replied in a monotone, adding, "Karen is calling me. Later," before leaving.

She encountered Lucy in the hall. The little girl was in a wheelchair, pushing herself as fast as she could. The door slid shut in front of her wheels and Emma didn't stop to open it again. Instead, the tall girl slipped down the debris-riddled hallways, jumping through broken ceilings and floors when necessary.

Finally, she reached the Quarantine Lab and slipped inside to Holding Unit 1.

Lucifer was there, his flaxen hair long but clean and untangled on the most part, his wounds healed and the scars the only blemishes on his otherwise smooth skin.

She stared at him for a few moments, before putting her hand on the glass.

"Nice try, loser," she said as smugly as she could muster, and then left the room once more.


	43. Chapter 40: The First Three Months

_**A/N:**__ R&R, please?_

**

* * *

May 22****nd**

_**Trinity**_

Ana had been pacing around for hours, despite Sable having ordered her not to. Now that the roads were barricaded, it was taking hours and hours for anyone to get through. Although Max had flown super-speed out to the hotel Jeb, Dr. Martinez, and Dr. Tamlin were staying at, she couldn't just fly back; she felt obligated to drive with Jeb and the doctors all the way back, to make sure they were safe. They had reached the barricades an hour ago. It would take another hour for them to pass through, and then another fifteen minutes to get here.

So, we were pretty much on our own at the moment.

Sable was surfing the web, printing out pages she deemed helpful—just in case Jeb and the doctors didn't get here soon enough, she wanted all of us to be prepared to do this. She'd gotten Dr. Tamlin's phone on speed dial, as well as the non-emergency police/fire/medical line (because 911 went to a station an hour away); she also made sure that Kate, Jason, and Iggy were all waiting by the door, so that if Ana went into labor before help arrived, they could open the door when help _did_ arrive, because in that scenario we'd be a bit _preoccupied._

Fang had his hands full with Dad and Gabriel, who were pretty much freaking out. I'd tried leaving Gabe and Ana together, but he'd fled, nursing crushed fingers, with Ana shouting furiously for all Hell to hear. So here I was, sitting on the headboard of Sable's lower bottom bunk, watching as Ana walked a hole in the floor, carefully avoiding the 'nest' she'd made of all the old rags and unneeded clothes that Sable could find. I occasionally jumped down from my perch to grab Ana's arm in one steady hand, and grabbing her opposite shoulder to keep her upright as pain ripped through her body, pulling her down onto the bed and rubbing her back, pulling her hair away from her face, peppering her skin with kisses and shushing her, rocking her as she whimpered and shuddered in pain. I'd let go of my more human side, letting the primal instincts of Alpha come forward; that part of me no longer thirsted for blood. Alpha was completely focused on his young bride and his soon-to-be-born children.

Even so, I was totally in control of myself. Still sane. Still Trinity—just, Trinity.

Ana, however, was losing it. She wavered between Ana, the whimpering, curled up young woman in my arms, and the angry, pacing mother who was ripping her hair out, throwing out her back, and breaking my fingers.

I suddenly jumped up, feeling the spike in her body before she'd even reacted herself. I knew it was time, she knew it, everything in my body and soul was telling me, _screaming_, NOW, NOW, NOW, NOW, _NOW!_

All I knew at the moment was that everything was going to be perfectly fine; and at the same time, I was ready to fall on my knees, bawl my eyes out, slit my own throat—just so they could live. Anything.

"Sable!" I called, and my voice was too calm for my own ears, even if it did shake a bit—with a bird's trembling edge, that is. "Sable!"

Sable rushed in, phone to her ear, and then she ran back out, grabbing the towels and sheets she'd piled up outside the door. I helped her place two towels underneath Ana, on top of the shower curtain she'd already put there, and Sable tossed the rest of the towels right beside her, ready. Both of us pulled on gloves.

Ana was only wearing one of the biggest shirts we could find, underwear and pants having been discarded, just in case _this_ happened. I stroked Ana's face, pushing away her hair as she panted, curled on her side, facing me, strangling my fingers.

"Doctor Tamlin?" Sable's voice was shakier than I'd ever heard it. She turned to me. "You sure this is it?"

"I'm absolutely positive. Alpha's telling me."

"This is it," she told Tamlin. "We're absolutely positively sure. We've got towels and sheets ready, Ana's lying on her side—she's all curled up. Pants and underwear off. We've got people at the door for you when you come, just—tell us what to do! I've already called emergency, they'll send people, but the barricades… You'll be here first. But I'm putting you on speaker—Oh shit."

The reason for her breathless cuss was because Ana had pulled herself up as if doing a crunch, gripping her knees, her wings strained and tight behind her. I could sense waves of relief coming off of her; obviously, it was easier to sit this way.

Taking the cue, I grabbed the pile of sheets and dumped it behind her, supporting her back along with my hand.

"Come on, girl," I told her. "Soon—fingers, toes… Colors of eyes… Wings…"

She glared at me, without words telling me I should shut up and stop rushing her, that she wanted this over as soon as I did. Sooner. She wanted it never to have happened. _Never again_, her face snarled at me.

I smoothed back her raised feathers as another contraction wracked her body, as she pushed.

"_You're going to have to guide 'im out, gently as possible, like a china doll,"_ doc Tamlin was saying. _"The babies will be coming head first, so watch for the cord around the neck. Don't stress, just loosen it so the baby can come out without getting choked. Once the head comes out, the rest should be easier, Mom'll hurt a lot, she'll be loud, but keep calm. After three pushes, if the head's out but the rest is struggling, push the head carefully towards Mom's back, the shoulder should come out next, and that'll ease things up…"_

Sable looked like she couldn't handle it, and besides, she was holding the phone, directing things: So it fell to me.

I switched spots with Sable and—as mindlessly as possible—checked our progress.

First thoughts:

_I'm never being a doctor._

Then; _I'm going to faint._

Lastly, _Shit._

"You're fine," I, surprisingly calmly, told Ana, who had been grinding out shrieks of, _'IS SOMETHING WRONG, DAMNIT?' _and like phrases, during my split second of stupor. "Just push with it. Come on, girl. You're fine."

I could sense her fury. She was probably imagining that her knees, which were clenched in talon-like, white-knuckled grips, were my neck and reproductive organs. From the look she was giving me, she hated my guts.

I could completely underst—

"Jesus!" My voice had risen in pitch, more of a falcon's high-pitched, quick-tumbling shriek than a frightened boy's terrified yelp. "I can _see_ it!"

Again, I was pretty sure she was imagining castrating me.

Suddenly, everything sped up. My hands shot out, and I felt slimy hair, slimy skin—and holy _crap_, a moment later, prickly, sticky, stubby wings. Then, a little baby girl was in my arms, screaming to the high Heavens in protest of being born. I handed the screaming, struggling, bellowing package to Ana, tears streaming down my face in hot, fat droplets of joy.

She cuddled the girl to her chest, and then she was doubling over again, gasping, caught by surprise. Sable pulled the baby away from her and began drying her off, hugging her close, to keep her warm as Ana and I became occupied again.

I was laughing and sobbing as the little girl's brother struggled to make his way into the world. Two—three minutes passed, and then he was in my arms, bawling as well, but not nearly as loudly as his sister. His wings were dark, his skin was the same deep tan as mine, and his hair was dark brown like Ana's. As I watched, as he fought against my hands, hands balled into fists, toes curled up as he kicked.

First thing I could say was, "That's not how you punch, boy! Keep your elbow in!" Even so, as soon as little Nicholas Gabriel Flyte heard my voice, he shut up and opened his eyes wide—bright blue eyes, brighter than Ana's, but just as beautiful. He stared back at me, and then squirmed. I pressed him close to me, seeing as Anna was just a bit occupied.

She was cuddling Anna Marie to her chest, cooing, panting slightly still, breathing, "Hey there little girl, hey there!"

"Ana, Trin, hold the babies close to you, grab a blanket," Sable was saying breathlessly, her eyes just as wide as all of ours. "But Trin, let me see Nick." She didn't ask me to let go of him, for which I was glad; she just reached over and gently stroked the sides of his nostrils. "Ana, start breast-feeding. It'll release hormones that'll keep contracting your uterus, so you don't bleed too much. Doc, the babies are fine, breathing and screaming like Hell. They're fine. Holy crap."

"_The babies'll be a bit blue and sort of dusky for a few minutes, just rub 'em off gently, and then get them warm—"_

"Done, doc."

"_Get hats on 'em."_

Whoever had been listening outside the door had scampered away, and then we had a pair of little baby hats handed to us. I slid them on to my children—_my children_—and then handed Nicholas off to Ana to breastfeed.

Sable was busying herself with the chords and placentas, and then a whole ton of blood and grossness came out, into a mixing bowl that had appeared a few minutes before. She started rubbing Ana's stomach, and Ana's face twisted in pain again, and I wanted to jump up and help her—this was Alpha wearing off—but Sable held up her free hand. "It's got to be done," she said grimly, and I knew she was just as frightened as I was.

She sighed. "Fang, go get me four trash bags, the bottle of Tylenol, an ice pack, and a pad from the top drawer in the brown dresser in the hall closet. And diapers! And more gloves!"

Sable peeled off her gloves so that they came off inside-out, then pulled on a new pair. She held out her arms for Anna Marie, who'd been handed to me, and I let her hold her as I changed gloves as well. After that, though, Anna Marie was back in my arms.

Sable carefully pinched each of the umbilical cords, nodded to herself, and then took shoe laces and tied them twice on the cord. Taking out gleaming scissors, she gave me a look. I accepted the scissors.

"Slowly, gently, it'll be hard to cut. Don't worry—no nerve endings in the cord."

Once the cords had been cut, she began cleaning things up. Wearily, Sable dumped the placentas into separate trash bags, and then put those bags (wiped of excess blood), inside the other bags. She put those off to the side. She took the ice pack and eased it against Ana, then put the pad under that. Fang was handing Tylenol to Ana, who tensed and hissed in pain at the ice pack; after she'd managed to swallow the pills, drink two cups of water, and then stand up to let Sable and Fang clean up the sheets and first shower curtain, though, she seemed to relish the cold. I stood and moved out of the way as Fang carted out the soiled linens; Sable, taking everything onto her shoulders, put the second shower curtain down, more sheets, and two large pillows. She tucked both of the twins closer against Ana's chest, covered them all with more blankets, and then moved out of the way to let me lie down beside my—for all intents and purposes—wife so I could stroke my little babies.

Sable came back in, cleaned up a bit more, left, and then came in again; this time, she had a change of clothes for Ana, for me, and she'd changed herself. She set another set of blankets and sheets down on the other side of the bed. She put the diapers down at the side, and then peeled Anna Marie out of Ana's arms, expertly put her in a diaper so that the last three or four inches of the umbilical cord was above the diaper, handed her back to Ana, and then did the same with Nicholas Gabriel.

I looked over at Sable, who had circles under hollow-looking eyes. They were firmly trained on Ana and my children; and as Anna Marie punched Nicholas in the snozz, her eyes lit up like the Fourth of July—before fading back into the dazed, tired hazel orbs I'd seen so often.

Alpha, by this time, was completely dormant. I didn't care only for Ana and the children—I cared for the rest of my family.

I smiled at her, putting all of my joy, my relief, my utter and complete ecstasy into it. "Thank you so much, Sabes," I told her. "You are an angel. God, thank you."

She smiled back shyly; just as Doctor Tamlin came striding in. She stood up, practically saluting the handsome young doctor, and began listing off what had and hadn't been done. He nodded along, checking Ana, checking the kids, checking everything.

And I tuned it all out, focusing on the two pairs of eyes staring up at me, one bright royal blue, and one as gold as the California sunset.

* * *

**The First Month**

It wasn't long before we got to know a few of the differences between the twins…and to realize that our kids were going to wear us out.

Not only where our babies very grumpy, but they wanted fed at different times, and threw major tantrums if they didn't get their way, and _then_ the other would begin to cry in protest with Anna Marie having the loudest voice of the two since birth.

She wanted fed in the morning and had no problem waking Nicholas with her screaming if she wasn't fed on the mark. Anna demanded her parents' attention with her tantrums, and even though she would fight for it it would get even worse if she didn't get her way yet again on being allowed to fall asleep on time. Why she thought we wouldn't let her…I have no clue.

Nick was still the easier of the twins to deal with. He preferred to sleep in late and be fed in the afternoon, probably due to the fact he was a night owl (he usually spent the evening curled up either in my lap or tucked against Ana's side, where he'd stay quietly awake while we fell asleep). When he did sleep, he had nightmares and couldn't be consoled.

They wore us out _so _badly that ITEX seemed like it would be a relief. I was exhausted, and Ana looked like a zombie—although a very happy one.

We finally got smarter and began to start switching off taking naps and taking care of babies. It was even longer before, under the wide, amazed eyes of our family, we finally realized we could ask for help.

Ana was sleeping and it was my turn to take care of the twins when our daughter began screaming at the top of her lungs and waking up her brother from his nap. I headed to where Anna was stationed in one of those baby play pens (a gift from Dr. Martinez), and as I picked her up I began trying to figure out how to comfort Anna _and_ get to Nicholas Gabriel before he started crying—it was just a matter of seconds.

I began bouncing Anna on my shoulder and patting her back rhythmically, giving my taps some syncopation to make her wails vibrate. It was the best way to calm her down, as the sound of her voice making interesting noises was more fun than screaming.

In the midst of this, I glanced over at Fang. He was sitting with Max in the backyard with Max, Beth, Sable…and pretty much everyone else was on the roof or just outside the gate playing on the grass. The glass sliding door was all that separated me from them.

Fang wasn't paying any attention to Max, Beth, Sable, or anyone else but his laptop—and not even that. He wasn't doing anything, just standing there and watching me, currently watching his niece bawl. I beckoned to him with my foot, and he opened the door a crack.

"Hey, Fang, can you help some?"

"Um, sure," he said.

"Go get Nicholas—he's in the bedroom. Just don't drop him."

Fang's eyes widened in horror at the thought and he ran into the bedroom, then came out a second later with Nicholas in his arms. Nicholas' face was scrunched up and his blue eyes were swimming with tears. Just a few days ago his tear ducts had started working—the twins were something like two weeks ahead of what they should have been, developmentally.

Unfortunately, that meant the floodgates had burst.

"Bbbb…vvvlllbbb…" Nick was blubbering, and both Fang and I knew he'd scream in a moment.

"What do I do?" Fang hissed.

"Give him to me, take Anna." I handed him the now-calm(er) Anna Marie and accepted Nicholas. "Shh, hey, it's okay, Nicky," I cooed. "Are you hungry?" I made a beeline for the kitchen, but it soon became apparent that no, he was not hungry. I knew he wasn't tired, he didn't seem to need to be burped, he definitely wasn't teething yet, he didn't like it when I tried to entertain him for a moment…

And then as soon as Anna Marie began crying again and reaching for me with grabbing hands (punching Fang in the nose twice, might I add), a light bulb went on in my head.

"Hey, Fang, check Nick's diaper for me, would you?" We switched off again and I tucked Anna Marie against my shoulder, where she nestled into my neck and stopped wailing immediately. Of course.

"…Umm…" Fang's extremely troubled expression and flat voice was a clear indicator of the status of Nick's diaper.

"Could you change it? Please?" I looked at him desperately and he nodded even though he obviously had no idea how to change a diaper. Unfortunately, Anna Marie had started hiccupping in a way that told me she was about to start up again… I really wanted Ana to get more sleep, and that wasn't going to happen with Anna Marie in the house.

"It's really easy," I said. "If you need help, get Sable or Beth or someone. I'm going to go take Anna Marie for a walk. Bye!"

I grabbed a jacket and Anna Marie's little baby hat, then I was _gone._

* * *

**Fang**

I was utterly lost, and I looked down at Nicholas the second his dad was out the door. All my nephew did was scrunch up his face and stare at me calculatingly, before opening his mouth, sucking in a breath, and—I tucked him up against my shoulder like I'd seen Trin hold Anna and bounced him a little. "Hold on kiddo, let me call in the reinforcements."

Using my foot, I pushed open the sliding glass door and glowered at the "Awwww!"s that followed my appearance. "Someone help me," I grumbled. "His diaper needs changing."

The girls look at each other for a moment.

"BYE!" Max and Beth jumped up and ditched Sable, who raised her eyebrows. "I know KIX knows how to change diapers," she mused to herself. "Probably a good thing, 'cause Beth won't do it." Laughing to herself, she stood and turned to me. "Alright, the changing table's in my parents' room. Off we go."

My stomach rose to my throat at the same time as my heart was sinking. By 'we', Sable was rendering my dump-nephew-on-Sable-and-run-for-it plan impossible. Darn…

My nephew squirmed, and when I looked down at him he was glaring at me. I was certain he knew original plan, and wasn't happy with it. He just wanted changed. I groaned.

"Here we go, Nicky."

I wasn't sure if she was talking to the baby or me, but she took Nicholas and put him on the changing table gently. She ducked down to grab a fresh diaper and some other stuff, but I wasn't really paying attention—Nicholas had just made a swipe at her ponytail and I had intercepted his grabby fingers with my hand. Now, I couldn't really feel anything in my fingertips…

"Pay attention, Fnick," Sable was saying. "You'll have to do this someday, judging from how freaked Max was looking."

I could completely understand Max freaking out. I watched as Sable undid the diaper tabs and grabbed Nick's ankles, hoisting his little rear into the air gently so she could slide the diaper out from under him. He still had his eyes on me, as if telling me I was a wimp.

And I was feeling pretty wimpy, actually. This was one thing I'd gladly surrender and let Trinity profess superiority about…

"Just remember this when you feel like having sex," Sable said as she secured the new diaper on. "This, and the screaming."

"You too." I picked Nick up when she was done and started to head for the door, she shook her head and took him away from me.

"I'll watch him. You throw away the diaper."

…Great. Maybe I shouldn't have thrown the "you too" back…

"It's because of the 'you too', Mr. Snarky." She stroked Nicholas's fluffy wings and hair, and stuck her tongue out at my back as I carried the soiled diaper off towards the garbage. "Who's the one who delivered the twins? Who's the one that's changing the diapers? Helping most with the kids?" She gave me a look. "And no, it's not your dad or Gabe."

Deciding not to answer, I turned around and held my hands out for my nephew as the diaper was disposed of. "Are we done?"

"For now," she said simply. "But sooner or later you'll be forced to change diapers again."

Evil girl.

* * *

So I'd been enlisted to help babysit. Trinity and Ana had to both go out for some reason that I forget, and I had been enlisted as the babysitter. Never fear, the others in the flocks were ready to entertain the babies.

And someone had brought a Furby.

At first, the babies seemed content with being anywhere but near those insane talking things. Then, Anna seemed to warm up to it and began chewing on its ear, slobbering and giggling as it said, "I wuv you…" and "Mmmm…"

And then its eyes began twitching, and its mouth hung open, and it began to emit what I can only describe as _demon speech._

Anna sat there completely shocked for all of two seconds, the Furby falling from her tiny mouth as it gaped open, and then her eyes began to water and she began to hiccup. She then used those great lungs of hers.

Nicholas slapped the thing with his hand, then headbutted it to everyone's half-hearted amusement. When that didn't shut it up, Nicholas began to cry too.

"Awww-hahaha…" The girls were all torn between being sympathetic and laughing, and weren't going to do anything, I could tell. So I decided to step in. I mean, I had been put in charge, so it was my job, right?

As I approached, the Furby's eyes shut tight and its ears drooped. "Uh oh," it said.

"That's right, uh-oh." I scooped up the twins and kicked the thing away down the hall.

"Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!"

The babies stopped crying to stare in its direction. Everyone else roared with laughter, until they heard the demon noises start up. I went down the hall and kicked the thing again, and after it bounced off the wall a bit it fell silent and seemed to have died.

Just in case, I ripped out the batteries and tossed them into the supply closet.

As I was coming back to the twins, however, I had this feeling, much like that of Scooby after Barney's first defeat, that I hadn't seen the last of this monster... An hour passed by in peace, however. In fact, everything was happy and carefree for the rest of the evening, until everyone had worn themselves out and were quieting down. Anna Marie and Nicholas were pushing each other with their feet from where they lay on the couch (watched avidly by two of the girls). Everyone else was murmuring softly about nothing in particular, creating a quiet white-noise…

A quiet underlying babble that was piercingly interrupted by _click…click… shuffleshuffleclick… click…_

As one, our heads turned to the hallway. We watched in horror as the hulking white figure of the Furby waddled into the light.

The little pair fell silent, with Anna's mouth popping open to a small 'o' yet again as Nick kept kicking halfheartedly at her. She looked at me as if to say _'I thought you took care of this!'_

I sighed and went over to the demon toy before my niece had the chance to howl.

"Stupid piece of junk…"

"Get that evil furby Mr. Ninja!"

Thanks for the encouragement, Max.

Just then, the thing in the middle of the Furby's forehead lit up—and not just the whitish blue light like usual, but _bright red._ It clicked a few times in a calculating way, its eyes narrowed…and then its eyes went wide and it began demon-screeching again as I picked it up, tossed it into the air, and then roundhouse kicked it into the wall.

It fell to the floor, screaming "UH OH! GALKFJDLKFAMKMLCADFJDS!!!" while I kicked, stomped, and smashed it. In a few moments it had stopped making any noises, it was smooshed and broken into pieces, and my foot was incredibly sore.

I turned around to find everyone staring at me, some with their mouths open. All was silent.

Pretending like I wasn't feeling awkward at all, I resumed my seat in the corner with my laptop, pulling the screen up and placing it on my knees to hide my face, and my view of the room.

Cue the applause.

I looked up to see none other than Trinity, Ana, and both Dad and Gabe standing in the doorway. Trinity was clapping, and Ana was doubled over, tears streaming down her face. Gabe was quietly handing Angelus twenty bucks, and Dad was saying, "Knew he'd crack."

* * *

**Two Months**

_**Trinity**_

Sable had been pretty much in charge of the documenting. She took pictures with her Nikon, she took videos with her dad's video camera, she compiled album upon album of pictures of each separate baby, and two huge ones for both of them together. I didn't really care about the pictures and videos at the moment, but Sable had the foresight to get started with documenting each and every moment of these two new lives, because, "You're gonna miss this when they start slamming doors and being emo."

Kate, Nudge and Angel were more than happy to babysit for us now that I had (politely) banned Fang from doing so. Angel especially loved taking care of Anna Marie and Nick, and she was more than happy to play with them while Ana and I caught some Z's, or planned the wedding.

The others all tried to help out as well, taking turns holding, playing with, and just watching the kids. But that didn't mean that Ana and I didn't spend time with our children.

In fact, at the moment I was holding Anna Marie up in the air, lying on the bottom bunk of Sable's bed. Anna Marie was giggling, her fluffy little wings flapping in excitement as she pretended to 'fly' around. I was holding her around the ribs, and the rest of her body was supported on my raised knee—my foot had been wedged into one of the wooden slats that kept the top bunk up. Anna Marie, every now and then, would escape my grip and glide gently down, guided by the length of my leg, to rest on my stomach, where she'd scoot her way up to stare at me, nose-to-nose.

She had a really adorable nose, by the way; clearly her mother's. Her wings, too, were more of her mother's than mine; dark brown, striped, but still with a fair amount of creamy down. Her hair was fuzzy and blond. We called her Dandelion—because she looked like one.

I blew on her head, and she giggled. "I'm making a wish," I told her, even though she still couldn't understand. She stopped babbling, becoming entranced by my moving lips. She stared at me with intense concentration, and then reached out and grabbed my nose—and tried to remove it.

"Ow!" Tears of pain sprang to my eyes, and I carefully tried to remove her fingers from my face. "Ow, ow, ow. Don't pull my nose off, baby girl," I told her gently. She went back to messing with my hair—which hurt, too, but not as much as the nose.

I stroked her wings, admiring the little adult flight feathers that were growing there. She flexed them under my touch.

Ana came in, bouncing Nick on her shoulder. He was the quieter of the two; less likely to be a cause of premature baldness than his sister. He was a total mamma's boy on top of it all.

That's not to say that he couldn't put up a fight. He and his sister would try to kill each other (playfully), over toys, turns with parents (they didn't like to share), and turns for meals. Nick would win the fights that Anna Marie started, but sometimes he would be more laid back and let her win—and you knew he was _letting_ her.

At night, Anna Marie would start thrashing around and flap her wings furiously, and by the time one of us opened our eyes, she'd have calmed down to just blubbering, with Nick's wing spread over her back, and one of his tiny little hands plopped on her head. He'd roll away as soon as he saw that Ana or I was aware of the issue, and he'd fall right back to sleep as soon as we'd scooped Anna up.

Of course, as I've mentioned before, Nick is the one with the worst nightmares. Those usually came on around one in the morning, whereas Anna's would be earlier—maybe an hour after she went to bed, and only at night and not at naptimes. Nick stayed up late to avoid his own nightmares, and only dozed; he always kept an eye out for his sister while she slept, and sometimes would lie there with his eyes open staring at her with a look of adorable concentration on his face. It was a bit disconcerting, but very cute.

Nick had his share of fits, but mostly he was pretty calm and sweet, choosing to spend his time either staring at the ceiling, scooting around on his tummy, or cuddled on Mom's shoulder, playing with her hair, her eyelashes, her lips.

When they were born, curled up, they were able to fit into my hands—even though their legs, fists and wings spilled over the edge of my fingers, they seemed so small. Dr. Tamlin had said that it was to be expected, because of how short a time they had had to develop, and how thin they'd have to be to be Avian Americans. They'd gotten a bit heavier, and gotten a lot bigger, but they were still so _small_…

Ana sat down beside me, and carefully set Nick down on my stomach. He slapped me happily, beating on my gut like I was a drum.

I looked up at Ana and 'oof'ed again as Anna Marie turned around and tumbled onto my stomach, where she began wrestling with her brother. Their gurgling, giddy shrieks filled the room.

Ana smiled at me. "Hey, Daddy," she teased.

"Mommy," I shot back. Both of our chests swelled at the names, names we still couldn't believe. I let out another loud _Oof!_ as a fluffy wing slapped me in the mouth. Ana laughed, inciting a pause in the rough 'n tumble wrestling match on my stomach. The kids started giggling to themselves. I shook my head and pouted. "You're all so mean to me."

"You bet!" Ana leaned in and disentangled our daughter from where she was pulling at Nick's wings. Nick said, 'Ba-baaa-ba-BAP!' and hugged my raised leg.

I snatched him up and zoomed him around, adding my own sound-effects to his 'blaaa-baaaa-bapppp!s'. Ana fluttered her wings, and then started strangling Ana, letting out happy little shrieking trills.

I was completely, utterly, happy.

"Yo, kiddo." Dad was standing in the doorway, and I glanced at him and smiled. He smiled back at me and held his hands out for Nick. "I don't mean to interrupt, but can I hold my grandson? I haven't hardly had the chance to hold either of my grandkids yet, Gabe's such a stealer."

I tried to pry Nicky from my arm, and eventually managed to hand him over to Dad. "Here you go," I said. "Be nice to him, Nicky." My son flapped his wings and beamed toothlessly at my Dad, and I knew he would be fine.

Dad skillfully took Nick and cradled him against his side, tickling his stomach, and they laughed and giggled in unison. Dad's voice was hushed. "So you like flying, kiddo..." He held Nic up as if he were flying as he beat his little wings and laughed. "You're gonna have a hard time keeping this one on the ground when he figures his wings out."

"I hope!" I said, just as awed. "When do you think…?"

Dad shrugged. "I'm just as clueless as you. I bet you'll know when though."

I nodded along, still awed, and watched in a euphoric detachedment as Nick flapped a bit more, and Anna Marie glided onto the mattress from Mom's shoulder.

And then Gabriel appeared, snatched Anna Marie up and held her horizontally so her wings were out like an airplane, and said, "Pew-pew-pew! Zooooooom!"

Dad rolled his eyes. "What did I tell you! He's always cutting into my time with my grandbabies."

Dad rolled his eyes. "What did I tell you! He's always cutting into my time with my grandbabies."

"Bapbapbapbap!" Nick giggled, and Dad grinned.

"My grandson, the genius."

He took Nick and as Nick flapped had him follow his sister, all the while Nick made his bap-d along. Gabe scowled. "Oh no, Anna! They're gaining on us!"

Anna squealed in delight and waved her arms. Gabe made the appropriate sound effects, and then Nicholas let out a loud belch. "BOMBS AWAY!" Dad exclaimed.

Gabe had Anna spiral down. "Oh no! You can't beat a bombs away! They're gonna win!"

"Nanananana..."

"Stubborn, huh? Cute."

Ana leaned against my shoulder. "This is why the TV has remained off since they were born."

"We're saving _so_ much on entertainment…"

"From watching them or their grandfathers, do you think?"

"Everyone's reaction to them... Fang was priceless."

Ana laughed. "Don't remind me!"

I laughed, and shrugged. "Alright, but only if you announce a winner of the grandpas over there... Do you think teaching our kids to fight each other is a good idea?"

"Like they don't do that already..."

"…Good point."

Ana watched them for a minute, a smile playing on her face as the twins and grandpas chased each other around the room. "I think it's a tie."

I nodded. "They're going to be fun when they get old."

"The twins or the grandpas?"

"You're just full of good points today, Ana."

* * *

**Month Three**

**_Max_**

****It was my turn to baby sit, Fang being no longer allowed due to obvious reasons, and I had of course been happy to volunteer. But as soon as Ana and Trin were out that door on a much deserved break, my smile faded and I looked down at the little bundles in my arms. I was pretty sure they were calculating my demise, or at least Anna was, I'm sure, as she grabbed my hair and gave it a yank.

Nicholas gave her a good smack and she let go.

"Thanks, Nicky. Thanks."

"Babababababa..."

I felt like he was watching out for me. I adjusted my grip on Anna so that I could knock fists with him. He did it perfectly. He was definitely going to be a good kid…

Meanwhile Anna glared at us as if we were conspiring against her. I shifted my hold on her again as I brought them farther back into the house. "Oh honey, you don't have to be so tough, we're not conspiring against you."

"BAH!" she exclaimed and grabbed a tuft of Nick's hair. "BAH!"

I had a feeling she didn't believe me. I sat down and tried to pry her fingers away from Nick without hurting him, and he didn't say a word, just hit at her again, having her glare at us both when she did let go.

"BAHBAHBAH!"

Angel giggled from the living room. "Anna's planning how to annoy you most, and Nicky's getting annoyed," she said. "Entertain them."

"Help me out here, Ange!" I called out to her, pulling Anna's fist out of my hair again. "How do you entertain them?"

"They like your voice. Singing or something is a good idea."

"I don't sing, and Anna isn't acting like she likes my voice, and I don't think Nick cares."

"Well who cares what you think, they do." Angel tapped her head. "I should know."

I shook my head. "Fine, then give me a song and leave, please. I hate singing."

"Here." She pressed a button on the laptop she was using, and a piano began to play… Angel ran out before I could protest.

I read the words on the screen and rolled my eyes. It was 'Vienna Teng's Lullaby for a Stormy Night.'

"It's not a stormy night!"

I got no reply and looked at the twins, both watching me now with interest. I glanced back at the computer screen and sang along with the words awkwardly. "Little child, be not afraid. The rain pounds harsh against the glass like an unwanted stranger, there is no danger. I am here tonight..."

The kids were staring at me in a very embarrassing fashion.

I bounced them a little. "Oh, come on. I know I'm bad, but jeez..." Nicky shook himself and then flailed his arms. He hit one of the buttons on the laptop and opened up an ad for one of those "punch Obama" things.

I snorted.

"Nice." He giggled at me. I brought Anna over. "You wanna help your brother out here?"

I placed her hands on the mouse-pad, and she began slapping the buttons happily. I watched them beat up Obama happily as the words kept rolling over the screen, half bored I started singing again. "Little child, be not afraid, the wind makes branches into hands, they're not real understand..." I laughed when Nick sneezed. "Alright, Nicky, I'l keep quiet. Just keep beating on Obama for me."

Fang walked in and raised his eyebrows. "So _that's_ where the source of window-breaking noise is coming from," he commented. "I thought it might be a Furby."

I made a face at him. "Shut up, Ninja. It's not like you sing any better."

"That's what you think," he said as he sat down. He leaned over the babies' heads to check the laptop screen and his eyebrows shot up higher than ever. "I always thought you'd be the Obamessiah's biggest fan," he said, surprised. "I mean," he back-pedalled, "what with minority/ethnic thing going for him, and the hope and change and health care for all..."

I snorted. "Do you buy that?"

"No, but I thought you did…"

"I'm glad to know you think so highly of my intelligence."

"Well now I know better."

"That's nice."

Fang rolled his eyes and snatched up Anna Marie before she could smack at Nicky instead of the One. She gurgled at him. I shook my head. "She's a handful now, just wait until she's older."

"And what about the kid?" Fang nodded at Nicky.

"He's going to make it double trouble."

"Funny."

"Only when we're not babysitting."

"Oh, I'm not babysitting. You are. I'm not getting anywhere near that gig."

"For obvious reasons."

He snorted. "Of course."

"Mhm."

"Babababababa!"

Fang held up Anna's finger to her mouth as she blubbered, and she seemed fascinated by the sound patterns he made by moving her finger away and back.

"Baababababaaaabo. Bobobobobabo..."

I smiled. "Cute."

"Extremely."

Fang admitting that was strange. I laughed at him. "What, are you looking forward to kids of your own now?"

He flushed, but kept smiling as he turned to look at me. "I dunno, mabe I just want to be an uncle...What do you want?"

I could feel my face beginning to heat as well. "I want two boys," I said. "And Ana and Trin had to steal my first name choice…" I stroked Nicky's dark wings.

Fang fidgeted. "I thought you'd like a little girl, Angel was always your favourite..."

"Yes, but she needs to have protective older brothers."

"...This is the point where I wish I had a ring."

I snorted. "You better get around to it soon."

He laughed. "You'e so helpful. What if I'm scared to ask?" He picked up and indignant Nicky and held him out to me. "What if I want him to ask for me? You wouldn't turn a cute baby down."

"Then you'd have to wait until he can talk."

"And that's why I chose him," he said immediately. "I figure there's still a chance I get enough nerve between now and then…"

"Why don't you just ask now?"

"Because I'm scared as Hell?"

"Uh, that's impossible."

"No it's not."

I pouted for a minute, but brightened when Anna waved her arms, as if she was on my side for once and trying to get my attention. I held her in front of Fang and her brother. "If you can have Nicky ask me I can have Anna answer for me."

He shook his head. "I guess we'll both have to wait then."

I pouted again and cuddled Anna. "Can you belive your Uncle is so mean to me?"

Anna suddenly curled up and landed on my lap safely, shrieking with glee as Fang leaned over and pressed his lips to mine. Apparently she wasn't impressed by me—I had a feeling she was the one conspiring against me…with Fang…

Not that I minded. I pulled way gently and shook my head, pressing a finger to my lips. "Not any more. Not until I'm asked."

He sat back heavily and sighed, pulling the baby in his lap closer to him. I patted Fang's shoulder. "Don't worry," I said lightly. "I figure you'll go mad without PDA'ing and that'll help boost your courage."

He glared at me.

* * *

"Saaaaaaaaabes!" Beth came in, a baby in each arm, and handed Anna Marie to Sable before she had a chance to hesitate. "Ana and Trin wanted to go out again, and you know they deserve it, so I said I'd take care of 'em, and Ana wasn't so sure, so I said you'd help, and I convinced 'em, and they left, and you better help 'cause I'm clueless with babies, Sis. Pleeeeeeeease?"

Anna sneezed, not too impressed.

Sable grinned and kicked open the door to her parents' room. "Put them on the bed," she said cheerily. "Big bed, soft pillows for them, safe area to let them roll and a TV for us to watch. Leave Nicky here with me and go grab a DVD, or want to try letting them entertain us for a bit?"

Beth thought about it for a second, then set down Nick and nodded. "Let's have them entertain us, I bet they'll be better than some movie."

The girls set the twins down on the mattress and corralled them in a square so they wouldn't roll off the bed. Nick then proceeded to stare up at them with big, serious eyes while Anna tried to squirm away. Beth and Sable watched as Anna Marie flipped over onto her stomach, stretched her wings out, and smacked her brother in the eye.

He flailed himself and caught her wing, causing her to squeal. Beth and Sable had to intervene and set them farther apart. Beth snorted. "That went well."

"Maybe they'd like Blues Clues or something." Sable shrugged and stood. "I'll go get some of their toys."

She came back with the box of playthings; chew toys, bells, squeaky animals, everything. She dumped them in a corner of the corall and the twins began rolling towards them eagerly, gurgling and squealing with delight. Anna grabbed a squeaky rubber duck and smacked Nicky with it…making it squeak.

Beth picked Anna up again and oved her further out of reach of her brother, then, thinking better of it, just sat Anna on her lap. "You little booger."

Anna giggled innocently, and her brother tossed a stuffed ball at her, saying, "BLAH!" loudly.

"BababaBAH!" Anna fussed at him.

"Bbblblhhh!" Nick turned his back like the responsible sibling should, and turned his attention to slobbering on a beanie-baby dog's paw.

Anna pouted, tossed the duck at Nick, then started crying when she realized she didn't have a toy anymore. Beth handed Anna to Sable, saying, "Help!"

Sable gave her a short look before cuddling Anna close. "Shhh," she soothed, reaching for a pacifier. "It's okay, it's okay…" She bounced the baby gently, rocking her, smoothing her hair. "Shhh…'s'okay…" Beth handed her the duckie, but Anna pushed it away.

"You know, I think it's feeding time. Crudmuffins." Sable leaned over to the box of the twins' stuff, but there weren't any bottles. "Beth, can you grab one of the bottles from the kitchen?"

"Crying baby? Can't help you. Fetch a bottle? That I can do."

When she came back, Sable twirled the bottle in front of Anna, who stared at it mesmerized. Beth sat by her, another bottle in her hand for Nick as she picked him up. "Stop teasing the baby, meanie."

Sable glanced at her, then back at Anna. The baby was waving her little grabby hands for the bottle, but her mouth was shut tight. Sable moved the bottle closer, and Anna popped open her mouth—Sable popped the bottle in and the last bit of crying stopped.

"_Viola."_

Beth looked at Nicky. "Yup. Ta-da is much better. I agree with you, Nicky."

"What's that, Anna? You think Beth is being unfair? Oh, and Nicky's the easier one, so Beth's getting off easy and should be nicer to me? Really, Anna!"

"Can you belive that Nicky? What? Oh, fine, I'll be more fair." Beth stuck her tongue out at Sable.

"So where _do_ Ana and Trin head off to?" Sable asked suddenly.

"I dunno. Out. Wasn't too specific." Beth shrugged.

"You'd think that it'd have to be something important for them to leave their kids so often."

"It's only once or twice a month… But maybe it's _because_ of the kids?"

"Nah… Hey, you don't think?"

"No." Beth gave Sable a look and her friend smiled sheepishly. "I think they mentioned something about going for parents' night out with Mason and Bella."

Nick chose then to be finished eating, and he grabbed Beth's hair to get her attention. She made a face and pried his hand lose, setting him back by the toys. "They should have brought Lilly here, I think that would have been cute."

"She probably would have left these kids in the dust. She's like, nearly a year old now right? I hear she's walking, talking, and _very_ intelligent."

"It'd still be cute."

"True."

"You stole my line."

"Sorry."

"No problamo, I stole glomp."

Sable smiled and laughed, then took the bottle away from Anna and gave her a finger to grab while Sable put away the bottle. "So now what?"

"Smile, look cute...oh wait, everybody here already got that down pat, hmmm... You're right. Now what?"


	44. Chapter 41: The Next Three

**_A/N: Please review...

* * *

_**

**Month Four**

KIX leaned over the crib, Iggy, Dom, and Gasman all standing not too far away. "Trin, you've got to be kidding."

"It's a girls-night-out and I need help. I'm not kidding. Where's Omega—Jason. Where's Jason?"

Iggy shrugged. "Keeping Fang company since he's not allowed to babysit anymore…or at least that's his excuse."

"…I'm going to go do that." Trinity wordlessly grabbed KIX's hood and pulled him back over. "DUDE! Why can't you get the grandpas to help you? I'm afraid I'm gonna drop one of your kids."

Trinity gave him a look. "No, you won't."

"Trin!" He whined, and the other guys tried to sneak away while Trin's attention was diverted.

"None of you will, you freaking reluctant uncles. Get your butts back here."

They grumbled as they had to come back, all casting furtive glances at the crib the twins were in at the moment. Gasman fidgeted. "Seriously, why aren't Gabe and Angelus here to help you? Did they take the night off too or something?"

"They're with Fang."

"How much you want to bet Jason only pretended to be nice to poor Fang and is actually out with the girls?"

"Does that make him a ladies' man, or that he's been hiding in the closet?"

"We'll have to ask him when he gets back...hey, he's been with Kate, he could be bi."

"…Ew."

"I'm lost," Gazzy said.

"GOOD!"

"You brought it up..."

KIX patted his head. "It's adult logic. Don't try to understand." His voice cracked, then squeaked. Gazzy decided to mimic that, and Iggy laughed.

"Now that that's out of the way, what do you want us to do? You know we're all clueless," Iggy said.

"Iggy, you cook dinner. KIX, you find a movie. Gazzy, you and I will stay here and entertain the kids."

While the others took off, Dom stood in the doorway looking pretty amused. Gazzy was frowning. "What am I supposed to do? Make funny voices?"

"Faces, voices, balloon animals if it comes to that."

Gazzy grinned. "That I can do, well, maybe not the balloon animals, but I'd give it a shot."

"Good." Trinity turned to Dom. "And what should I do with you…?"

Dom raised his hands. _"I can help entertain the kids too, or find a Furby and chase down Fang."_

"You know, I think I'll leave you to be the Fang torturer."

_"Yes! Where's the Furby stash?"_

KIX grinned, "In the closet, in Fang's backpack." Dominic ran off, his hands up and his head thrown back in a mime of a maniacal laugh. KIX popped the movie into the DVD player and up came… "'UP'?"

"Of course. Good for kids, good story, makes grown men cry."

"Yeah, well you're not a man, you're a dad so I guess you're safe for now, Trin."

"I'm nineteen, dorkulus."

Gazzy shrugged. "So you only had one year of it."

"Still." Trinity sat down, shook his head, and pressed play.

It went over Gazzy's head as he turned back to the twins, putting on a goofy voice and face. "Lookit! I'm an alien!"

"Wrong movie, Gazzy. 'Monsters vs. Aliens' is next."

"Sorry!"

* * *

**Month Five**

_"Nudge!"_ Catlyn came out of nowhere and tackled Nudge. "Ha! I surprised you. I so won that round."

"Oh yeah? _Poke!"_

"Ahhhhhh!"

"Don't make me get the duct tape too!"

"But _I'm_ the duct tape lady!

"It'd be funny. I say we give them both some duct tape." Max turned to Ana. "What do you think?"

"I think we need Sour Patch Kids." She was across the aisle looking at the candy; Max was at the Jerky and Corn Nut section. "Or should we have Twix?"

"Twix." Max nodded. "Twix beat Sour Patch Kids."

"Want soda, guys?" Sable asked from the next aisle over.

"Ooh! Mountain Dew!" Catlyn zoomed by.

"No!" Beth shouted, practically tackling Catlyn herself. "You don't need Mountain Dew! None of us do."

"But—I need sustenance!" Catlyn shouted.

"Have, like, tea...or something...I dunno... No caffeine!" Max tried her best to help out, but Catlyn was still struggling madly.

"Uh, Max?" Sable called. "They don't have decaf tea here."

Max grimaced. "Catlyn, how bad are you on caffeine?"

"Not that bad! Honest!"

"Don't trust her!" Nudge giggled.

"Traitor!"

"Am not! I'm telling the truth!" Nudge teased.

"I bet you wouldn't have turned on _Alex!"_ snarked Catlyn.

Nudge blushed. "That's different, and yes I would've!"

Sable put her elbow on Max's shoulder. "Only because Alex would have turned on her too."

"No, Alex is always trying to get her to have caffeine, remember?" Beth grinned. "I bet he thinks she'll react like me eventually."

"Or like you, Max, on Valium." Sable ducked away.

Max turned red. "I don't know what you're talking about. That was all made up."

"Not what your boyfriend says," every other girl in the shop said in unison.

Angel tugged on Max's sleeve. "And I'd know if he was lying, wouldn't I?"

"Oh Angel, you little devil." Ana and Angel high-fived across the aisle divide. Nudge laughed. Ana turned to the others. "Hey, where are we going after this? Anybody got a clue, or are we heading to the park?"

"We can go to the park," Sable said.

"Cool!" Nudge pulled Catlyn back to the Mt. Dew. "You can totally have caffeine then!"

Sable face-palmed as someone said, "Maybe you shouldn't have told them."

"We should ditch them now..."

"Beth!"

"Okay, I'm counting down!" Sable called. "On one, you have to start checking out! Five…"

Surprisingly, everyone was checking out by four, and they were out before she finished saying 'one'. They turned to Sable, who took a swig of her Dr. Pepper and pointed dramatically into the distance. "Onward, ho!"

"CHARGE!"

And so they charged off to the crosswalk, and then waited for it to turn green before they charged off across the crosswalk and towards the park. When they got there, the caffeine was beginning to kick in on some of them, and they ran off towards the playground, the tire swing, and the baseball field.

"Quick! Let's hide from them!" The remainder of the girls laughed and ran off behind trees, or in some cases in them; but Sable sat down at one of the benches and pulled her coat tighter around her. Sable was the first person they saw, so of course a breathless Nudge and Catlyn ran up to her shouting accusingly, "You guys left us!"

"No," she said smoothly, "they just decided to lead you into a game that's much more fun than just running amuck."

"Oh! Fun. What's the game? Can't play a game without knowing what it is, and what the rules are. Every game needs rules." Catlyn grinned.

"It's ninja hide-and-seek," Sable said. "If I told you the rules, I'd have to kill you."

Catlyn nodded seriously. "I see." She grabbed Nudge's arm and started to drag her off. "Come on! I think I see someone over there!"

Sable sighed to herself and then looked down at Angel, who was crouched under the table. "How'd that sound?"

Angel smiled. "Perfect."

"They buying it?"

"Completely. Nudge thinks she just saw Ana, but she didn't. They'll crash after a little while." They high-fived beneath the bench. Angel began to giggle. _Max just about fell out of her tree._

Sable shook her head and put her elbows on the tabletop. "Angel, do you think this is going to turn out well?"

_Yeah. Everyone's going to have fun, and the boys won't burn the house down._

The older girl snorted. "That's good to know. And what about Nicky and Anna Marie?"

_Oh, they'll behave for the boys…_

"Of course, since they never want to behave for us girls..."

_Well, Nicky loves the ladies but only because we huggle him when he cries and all; little Annie likes the boys because… Well, let's say she's got the heart-breaker gene from Ana._

"Ah!"

"Ahhh!"

"Ahhhhh!"

_They found Ana._

"BOO!"

"Ahhh!"

_And now they got attacked by a manic five year old._

"Is the five year old a ninja?"

_Worse. A pirate._

"Oh no!"

"Pirate!"

"Argh!"

Sable ran a hand through her hair as she laughed, but it faded away after a bit. _Angel?_

_Let it last, Sable. Enjoy it while you can… Max tossed her shoe at them to make them shut up, so they've spotted her. The ninjas and pirate have ganged up to chase her now._

"Shall we join them?"

_How about we go hang out with the real ninjas?_

"Where?"

"It's always the quiet ones."

"Alrighty then!" Sable helped Angel clamber out from under the table, and they began strolling towards the kids sitting by the volleyball net; one of them was even wearing an _I am a ninja_ T-shirt. They didn't even spare them a second glance, but the kid with the ninja shirt turned away so the shirt couldn't be read anymore, and another said hey when Angel and Sabes came close.

"Ladies," one of them said smoothly.

"Are you all ninjas, or just you?" Sable asked.

The boys exchanged looks, and Sable suddenly noticed something as their eyes caught the light; their pupils shrank to slits, and the light seemed to make their irises flame with a ruby tint… Angel stomped on her foot.

There was semi-silence as the others continued shrieking, chasing each other, Nudge tackling Beth now and Max trying to distract the pirate. The one who finally spoke smiled silkily. "I supose we're all ninjas."

"Phew," Angel said in her best relieved voice. "I thought for a moment maybe you were all pirate spies. But can you prove you're ninjas, just to be sure?"

"We can only show you if we're sure you're ninjas too. How can we know _you_ aren't pirate spies?"

Sable thought for a moment, then exchanged a glance with Angel. "Barney's a pirate. Barney is a jerk. I do not like jerks. Therefore, I am not a pirate," she said, and Angel smiled.

"And if that doesn't convince you," Angel said dryly, "then maybe this will." She held out a primary feather, flawless white and as long as her forearm. "Angel Ride, Head Barney Hunter of the Ninja government."

The guy who had been speaking took the feather smoothly, and the others watched. They were glancing at each other, not sure how to respond. The kid with the ninja shirt appeared to be scratching his back while the others worried, but then came up to shake hands with Angel. A dark feather was left in her hand. "I guess I'm your counterpart on our front."

Angel's face lit up. "Ah, yes. I've heard about you." She smiled and her curls bounced delicately beside her round cheeks. "How's the old man?"

"Not too well. We didn't manage to get him out of detention. The principal's still pissed off, and forcing him to remain in Barneyland."

Angel's face fell, but she brightened quickly. "That's okay, we'll just have to plot a rescue mission."

"What's your name?" one of the other boys was asking Sable.

"Sable. Yours?"

His eyes widened. "I'm honored, that's what I am. But the name's Jeremiah." He smiled, tight-lipped. "Do you live nearby?"

"Just down the street."

He looked over at the rest of his gang. "You heard that?" he murmured.

They nodded. A girl nodded towards the others. "Are they with you?"

"Yeah. That's Max getting chased by everyone else," Sable said.

"And that little 'pirate' girl there is one of us too, although she's actually a ninja agent undercover as a pirate." The boy shifted uncomfortably. "Is it crowded at your ninja headquarters?"

"Yes, but we've got a hotel right nearby, and another house within sneaking distance that're ready to hold more agents." Sable looked back at Angel. "Do you think we could pull the necessary strings?"

Angel nodded eagerly. "I think we could. I know we can."

The head of the ninjas, who had been talking to Angel while Sable held her own conversation, smirked. "Little ninja that could, huh. Well then boys, how's about we set off to grab our stuff and meet up with the ladies later on, discuss our Barney hunting plans?"

The other ninjas grinned. "Barney doesn't stand a chance now, does he?"

"Neither do the Teletubbies," Angel agreed, and stood on her tiptoes to give the main ninja a hug. "Thanks, Ryan!"

"No problem, grasshopper." He winked and gestured to the others. "Alright guys, pack it up."

"Sable! Angel! Stop flirting! We need help with the pirates!"

"Pirate shriiiiiiimp!"

"Arrrrrr!"

Sable and Angel laughed, said their goodbyes, and ran after the group with Mission Impossible in their heads, doing ninja rolls and hiding behind trees at random intervals. Catlyn appeared beside them, a roll of duct tape in her hand. "I have the secret weapon!"

"It's on!"

* * *

Sable welcomed the ninjas into the house, and they found themselves facing Fang and Trinity; the famed ninja and his brother.

"Dude," one of the younger Fallen breathed. "It's _Fang Ride!"_

An older ninja grabbed his head and forced him into a bow, smirking. "Show some respect to the greatest ninja ever, padawan."

"I didn't know Jedi were ninjas."

"They're awesome. Ninjas are awesome. Of course Jedi are ninjas."

Fang elbowed Trinity. "See that? It's nice to get some real acknowledgment around here."

Trin shrugged, turning back to give Nick to Ana in exchange for a sleepy Anna Marie. "Whatever, Mr. Ninja. You just tell them why you have a stick in your pants."

"I can't help it when Max is around." Trinity smacked Fang upside the head, and Angel hid her face.

The younger Fallen ducked away and smiled at them. "You go for sticks and stones then?"

Trinity finally kicked Fang's shin and jerked his chin towards the living room. "Come on guys. Enough of this."

Everyone was around waiting for the Fallen. There were brownies; Gazzy and Catlyn were having a contest on who could eat the most. And then the little Fallen kids landed on the plate and beat them all to it. The older ones headed into the living room and faced the Family leaders. The boy who had done most of the speaking from earlier ducked his head. "Hello Sable, everyone."

"Let's begin this with a simple info-pool," Angel said. "What's your status?"

"We and all the other Fallen have left ITEX, and took all the experiments with us. Zoë is leading us. Lucifer is still locked up. We're in small groups all spread out now, but that won't last long unless we find some way to settle everyone down and into hiding, and there are a lot of us."

"Or we could just break out into the open," Sable suggested. "Fight back."

The Fallen tilted his head. "Everyone? There are plenty of younger ones, and some aren't ready for fighting yet. However, I'm sure we're all game for anything you'd have us do. We want Luce back, and an actual home and family to bring him to."

"If we go out in the open, then there will be places for the little ones to go. There will be that home, and the family."

"That makes sense." Ryan nodded. "As I've said, we're ready to do whatever you want us to, within reason."

"…So we're done?" Fang asked.

Ryan shrugged. "Apparently, unless we want to plan in more detail, or there's something specific you want to discuss."

"Actually there is," Angelus said. "Sable, Trinity, Fang, and Beth. I'd like to speak to you."

Ryan jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. "Do you want us to leave?"

Angel shook her head and sat down on Ryan's lap, looking much younger than she'd appeared before. She peered up at him like a six year old. "Stay!" The ninjas were enamored. They weren't going anywhere. Everyone else gathered together down the hall, where Gabriel was sitting with Ana, the twins, and Max.

Angelus smiled at them. "I know we've got a home base going here, but I want you all to be aware of our options, especially since we've got little feet with us now." He nodded at the twins. "Do you all remember the Colorado option?"

Trin tried to remember. "Colorado option…sort of? I think you mentioned it. Once."

"Once." Fang nodded in agreement.

"Not around me," Sable said.

Angelus smiled wryly. "There's a house in Colorado where we can go if we have to in case things turn out badly at some point. It's big enough, all of us could stay there, and possibly a few others, without having to worry about crowding. It's out of the way."

Max glanced at the others to gauge their reactions. Sable was frowning, Trinity was look at Ana for her reaction and she was looking at him, Beth was looking at Sable and Fang was looking at Angelus and Gabriel. "When do you want to leave?" Sable asked finally. "And who's going with you?"

"Oh, not now," Gabriel said. "It's just with all the runaways, and the frequency and growing close-proximity of the searches for them in the area, sooner or later this place will become too crowded for even your generosity. That, or the kids will get on your nerves. But not now."

Max scowled. "All of us? As in everyone, Sabe and Beth and Alex and everyone who is actually normal or has an alibi could come with us too? We could all disappear at once if we needed?"

"I'm not leaving."

"Sable, you have to if it comes to it—"

"And neither will Alex," she continued, ignoring the well-meaning Trinity. "The ninjas can stay here, and I'll keep running the place like usual. With you dweebs gone it'll be much easier."

"But what if it comes down to it?" Ana asked.

"It won't. And if it does, I'll go."

Beth elbowed Sabes. "Are you calling me a dweeb?"

Sable smiled and hugged her friend. "In the most loving way."

Beth hugged her back. "Oh, well that's okay then."

Trinity ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Aright. I give in..." Ana put her free hand on his arm and squeezed. Looking back at us, Trinity waited for someone to speak. When no one moved to leave, or say anything, he took the initiative. "We've got options. And Sable is stubborn. What else is new?"

* * *

**Month Six –**

_**Speech has come,**_

_**and walking too.**_

_**Mischief is in the making,**_

_**in**_

**Flight Training**

Nick was taller than Anna Marie by one inch, an Anna Marie knew it. She knew it and resented it. She _knew_ she was older than him. She _knew_ she was tougher than him. She won all of their fights, after all! Even if he could crawl before her, she took her first steps before _he_ did. He said his first word before her, but she was babbling away faster than he ever could have dreamed. That automatically made her better.

Right?

As Nick perched himself on the top bunk of their bed, his giant black wings opening and closing slowly, tense and nervous, Anna Marie felt jealous. Mommy had put them both down on the bottom bunk for nap time, and then she'd gone out to talk with Daddy in the TV room. Nick had immediately jumped up and pulled himself up onto the top bunk. Anna didn't know what he was doing, but she knew he'd done it and she hadn't, and that made her mad.

"Whadd'yoo doo'in?" she demanded angrily in baby speak (translated into Baby English for your convenience).

Nick ignored her, staring at the expanse of floor six or seven feet below him, his wings still rising and lowering experimentally, like an athlete miming an action he'd seen and wanted to remember. Up and down… Flapping… Like those birdies of Auntie Sable's, like all of his aunties and uncles, like his mommy and daddy…

His fingers gripped the mattress beneath him tightly, and his elbows wobbled as he leaned forward, focused, focused… Flap harder, flap harder, and angle the feathers just like Daddy when he glided down to the ground…Anna screamed as Nick fell forward, flapped once, twice, and then landed on his feet—before falling to his knees, grinning like an idiot. Which he was.

"You 'dowlt!" Anna shrieked, attempting to say 'dolt'. "You eedee!" She meant idiot.

Ana and Trinity rushed in, eyes wide with fear, hardly daring to breathe, fearing what they might find. When they saw Nick laughing, grinning, flapping his wings and lifting himself from his knees to his feet without his hands, they gaped. "What happened?" Trinity asked.

"I FWOO!" Nick bawled happily. "I fwoo from up 'dere!" He shook his finger at the top bunk.

"He in _big_ doo-doo!" Anna Marie snarled. "He fwoo be-fo meeee!"

Ana laughed and scooped Anna Marie up. "Yes, he flew before you. But that doesn't mean he's in trouble. Come on, let's go outside, and let's see who can stay up the longest, alright? I think it's time for some flying lessons."

Trinity tossed Nick over his shoulder. "Alright, let's go get Uncle Fnick—"

"No!" Anna Marie protested. "I wanna supwise him!"

Trinity grinned at his daughter. "Alright. We'll keep it quiet. Let's go see what you babies can do, shall we?"

Anna Marie nodded, and let her parents carry them out into the garden for flight lessons.

* * *

**December OF THE NEXT YEAR– NuTex Minor Branch, Storage and Upkeep Unit – Colorado**

He was shaking. His teeth were chattering in the cold, and his black hair, matted and hanging down to his bony little shoulders, was all that was keeping him warm. The regulation hospital pants and shirt did nothing to hold in body heat. Other than his hair, there was also that pair of wings...but they were trembling and loose, too weak to warm himself. His fingers were tucked under his armpits, and his toes were curled on the icy stone floor beneath him.

He scooted a bit closer to his big brother, so their elbows touched. The taller of the pair lightly bumped his younger sibling's elbow and extended his large wing around his shaking little brother, enveloping him in broken and ragged feathers and luxurious warmth. Both of them sniffled a bit in the cold.

He flinched and cowered back as a gurney came squealing down the hall, bumping over the metal implants in the floor by the fire-proof doors. The same squeal and bump had signaled the beginning of tests for the past few years, and they'd survived. But now, they were the harbingers of impending doom. There was no escape, they'd been told. Time was up.

Say your goodbyes.

"I'm scared," he whimpered, burying his nose in his older brother's ragged, dirty hospital gown.

"It's gonna be alright," he said softly as the doors opened on the other side of the room to reveal the white coats. "Just remember me, and it'll be alright. This isn't goodbye, no matter what they say."

The scientists reached over and grabbed his arm then, and a pair of hands forced his wings back to his sides. He shook off their hands and climbed onto the gurney himself, his dark eyes revealing no fear as his legs were strapped down.

He was just laying down to let his arms and chest be strapped when his brother gave a sobbing cry and launched himself forward, grabbing one of his hands and pressing it to his face. He clung to it, screaming, "No, no, no!" as a scientist tried to pry him off.

"Let go of my hand," the brother on the gurney said sharply, and his sobbing brother did so. For a split second, the elder of the two considered asking his younger sibling to stop crying...but then decided not to. Instead, he turned his head to the scientist holding his brother back by roughly grabbing his wings. "You don't have to do that," he said. "He'll behave. Won't you?"

Instead of answering with words, his brother stared him in the eye, his face covered in tears and his hands covering his mouth to stifle his sobs. He couldn't even nod, but his brother knew his answer.

The brother on the gurney kept their gazes locked as he spoke again. "You guys ready?"

"I'll ask the same of you," his handler said.

He nodded. The handler strapped his neck down on the gurney, and then began rolling out the door.

The younger brother gave a soft, muffled scream and curled in on himself, tearing at his face and his hair. His own handler did nothing except close the door, then lock it. The lights went off a second later, and the temperature dropped.

And he was all alone.


	45. Chapter 42: Kaboom

_**A/N:**__ Sorry this took so long. School's been hecka busy, and…to tell you the truth, we've been procrastinating on AverageWizard, MLIA, and MysteryGoogle. I mean Seeker. I MEAN GOOGLE!_

…_Yeah._

_So if there's a random MLIA or an AW entry in here, know that it's because D and I have been writing _Wing It _through IM, via copy+paste, and we've been sharing the best MLIA and AW entries through copy+paste as well. I'm surprised it hasn't happened before, actually…_

_There's a reason for Angel's behavior.  
_

**

* * *

December 2****nd**

**Max**

_Hey, Max, I was wondering if I could come over today…_

I narrowed my eyes at the dartboard I was setting up in the attic and imagined that it was Jeb's face that my flock was waiting to put pointy objects through at high speeds. "No, Jeb, you can't come over today. We're having a dart tournament and I don't want you caught in the crossfire."

_Very funny, Max. I'm at the front door._

"WHAT?"

"WHAT, MAX?" Nudge mimicked. Fang elbowed her, then turned back to me. He raised his eyebrows.

"Jeb's at the door." Everyone groaned, and Iggy chucked a dart at my head. After ducking and giving him a death glare, I snatched the dart from the center of the board. "Okay, should we make a run for it?"

_No, this is important, Max!_

I winced at the volume of Jeb's Voice. "Crud…"

"Sounds important," Angel said. "I think… Oh my gosh." She threw open the trapdoor. "Jeb, you asshole!"

"Angel!" Every single person in the house was shocked. Angel ignored us as she jumped down from the attic; I heard her hurried footsteps as she ran down the hall.

Before I could even move, Fang had jumped down after her. I followed, and found Angelus and Gabriel blocking Jeb's way into the house. Trinity was standing behind them, with Fang who was holding Angel back. Angel's face was filled with fury and she was fighting Fang with all she had, eyes narrowed in concentration.

"You idiot!" she spat at Jeb. "You absolute fnicking _moron!"_

"Whoa, Angel, while I agree with you—why's Jeb a fnicking moron more today than before?" Gabriel was asking as I pushed past him to stare Jeb down. First thing I noticed was that he looked scared out of his mind.

_Serves him right._

"He's been hiding something very, very important," Angel was saying. Her voice was slow and painful. "He's been hiding it for _eleven years."_

"What is it?" I demanded. "Say it now, Jeb, or I'll have Angel do a mind rape."

"What?" Jeb was perplexed.

"…Slang. Geek speak. She will make you wish you had died."

"You better believe it!" Angel hissed.

Jeb held up his hands and took a half-step away. "Let me inside, and let me plug in my laptop. Then I'll tell you everything." He adjusted his glasses nervously. "Just don't kill me. Please."

"As she said," Angel muttered, "you'll only _wish_ I had killed you…"

* * *

Angelus and Gabriel were standing with Angel to make sure she wouldn't physically attack Jeb. Fang was standing next to me, arms crossed over his chest and his jaw set. Trinity was holding Nicholas, and both of their eyes were focused on Jeb as he opened his laptop and connected to the ITEX server.

"Here, look."

I looked through the document he was holding up on the laptop, but had no idea what the technobabble meant. Sensing that, he pointed to a sentence towards the bottom of the page, saying, "They've just decided to let me in on—"

"LIAR!"

"I didn't know they were alive, Angel!" Jeb snapped, looking furious for once in his life. "I knew they had happened, but Max and Fang were so young—I knew the project had been initiated, but after I didn't hear any more about it, I thought it hadn't worked, I thought I didn't need to tell them—you were all so _young!"_ Despair was evident on his face, and he put his head in his hands. "Fang…Max…I'm sorry…"

"Just spit it out!" Angel roared. "Stop apologizing and make things right!"

"When you and Fang were little, before I got you out… You two both started puberty _extremely early,_ you see, and they…"

"Wait, you're talking about my kids?" He, Trinity, Angelus, and Gabriel stared at me like I'd gone insane, but Fang was looking at me with a look of painful understanding. I bit my lip and continued. "You're saying that they took my reproductive parts, and Fang's, and bred us. Right?"

Angel nodded silently and leaned against Gabriel's side as he fondled her hair. "They don't even have names," she whispered after a few more moments of awkward turtle-ness. "The oldest one's Eleven, and his brother is Ten…" Her eyes were shining, and she narrowed them at Jeb. "You fnicking…"

I looked at Fang, trying to keep from freaking out right now. One step at a time, Max. One step at a time. "I was seven."

"I was eight…"

"It's wrong."

"It happened."

"I had to jinx it, didn't it?" I mused. "I said I wanted two…" Fang's lips broke into a smile, but it was rigid and I knew he wasn't sure how he should react. "Jeb… So why now? What's wrong now?"

"They were separated a week ago," he breathed. "I don't know what happened to the older brother, but the younger one is in solitary confinement, and I don't know what's going to happen to him either. But it can't be good."

I shook my head. "How old are they? Ten, eleven now? Does that explain the names?"

Angel gave a pathetic snort, and then sniffled. "But that's not it, is it, Jeb?" she said. "Hurry up."

Everyone looked back at Jeb, who was hanging his head. "You guys have to leave as soon as possible. There's going to be a search in this area—and they have guns. Their orders are to shoot if they encounter any resistance, if they find anything suspicious…"

My eyes were wild. "WHAT? We just—we just got told about a place to go, and now we have to go there and move everyone in who know how short of time, and we have kids? Is there _anything_ else _Jeb_?"

"Well…"

That was it. My fist shot out and smacked him across the cheek, and as he cradled his face I made to lunge at him. Fang grabbed on to my forearms and pinned them behind my back, dragging me out of leg's distance, too.

"I think Ten might be slated for termination—"

I screamed at him. Fang tensed, his voice ice cold. "My son is slated for what?" He let me go.

But then Sable raised her voice. _"Freeze!"_ I did so only out of respect for the fact that we'd been staying her in house…this was her living room…and blood was a pain to get out of upholstery. I did, however, kick him in the shins. No blood, just a lot of pain. I practically growled at him. "Where are they?"

"I think they're in Colorado—" Jeb winced as he touched the purpling skin on his shin.

I let out a wordless shriek and made to kick him out the door. Fang beat me to it, grabbing Jeb and throwing him out roughly, slamming the door without a word to Jeb. He grimaced. "That's how I feel about that."

"How can we know he's not lying?"

He turned to the golden angel. "You'd know if he was lying, wouldn't you?"

Her halo bobbed. "Of course."

"Then it's settled. We have kids in Colorado."

I shook my head. "Why? We were kids! Why couldn't they wait…" Fang shrugged, I shuddered. "Two boys. I jinxed us… If we find out they have a little sister…"

Sable coughed. "It doesn't matter," she said. "I was just coming upstairs to tell you something important."

"And that is?"

"Jeb's thing about the raid—they _are_ coming."

"How long do we have?"

Sable shrugged and said, "Long enough to plan and pack."

I shook my head again. "Are we all going?"

"Beth and the Fallen are staying," Sable said.

"You guys should all go to the Colorado house, except Fang and me, we'll go find—"

"Oh no you don't," Trinity said. "We'll get to that when we get to that. We can do that on the way up to the house. First…" He rounded on Sable. "You and Beth have to come."

"No."

"Isn't this 'coming down to it'?" he demanded.

I agreed. "You have to come, Sabes. It won't be safe for you here, and you're part of the Family. We can't leave you behind."

"I have the Fallen and Dom."

"Come with us, please?"

Sable shook her head. "I can't. I have to stay here."

Trinity looked torn. "You'd be happier here wouldn't you, despite the danger? Your home, the Fallen, lot quicker way of knowing about Luce, Dom and Beth to keep you company, Alex when he gets back… But what happens if you get caught with the Fallen, with Dom? What happens if you all get caught? What about Holly? And KIX? Wouldn't Luce want you safe, Sabes?"

Sable's face was pale as she stared Trin down. "Luce had the same conversation with me already, Trin. You've had this conversation with me before. It never worked any of those times, and I'm still here."

"But it's different now, Sable," Ana said. "Come with us."

Fang smirked. "It's Sabes, guys, she's never going to back down."

"I could kiss you." Sable gave him a tight-lipped smile. "Now everyone, get packing." Turning to Beth, who had just come in to see what the commotion was, she said, "D, you'll be taking the bottom bunk, and Dominic can get the top bunk, I'll be sleeping on the couch."

"But—" D was flabbergasted.

"Christmas lights!" Sable pointed to the tree in question. "I love sleeping out with them!"

Beth squinted at her. "Did Catlyn give you some of her constant sugar high or something?"

Sable laughed and took her arm. "Come on, let's move your stuff to my room! I'll tell you on the way."

"Fine by me."

I snorted as they went out of sight, and then turned on Trinity, years of being in charge making me jump right back to business. "Your nephew is slated for termination, and you want us to wait!"

"Don't put words in my mouth!" he snapped. "You two can't just rush off on your own is what I meant, and you know I'm right."

"He's right," Fang said under his breath.

I grimaced. "I don't like it."

"I'll come with you," Trinity said.

"But your kids!"

"Will be fine. We'll all be fine if we stay in large groups like we would if I went with you."

I put a hand up. "Hold on, let me think."

_Good choice, Max._

_Ohhaiiiii, Voicie. Nice of you to chime in. Do you have any sage advice, fortune-cookie sayings? They'd be helpful._

_Bring Trinity, Fang, and Angel. You'll need them more than ever in the upcoming months, especially after you find your youngest son. But if you do, be warned that as soon as you leave the safety of the flock, there is no turning back._

_What in the world is that supposed to mean? Oh wait, you're a _retarded_ fortune cookie. I forgot. Nevermind._

_Just to spite you, Max, I'll explain. It's exactly what it says on the tin: If you decide to leave in a small group in search for your youngest son, then you need to bring Trinity, Fang, and Angel. However, if you leave the safety of the large group—strength in numbers—you'll find yourself facing lots of trouble, lots of hard work and heartache. It might be years before you see them again._

_Then what am I supposed to do? Bring everyone with me?_

_You always have that choice, even if it is impossible. But it would be worse if you brought them all. I'm just warning you._

_So basically you're stating the obvious._

_I've never said my name _wasn't_ Captain Obvious, Max, did I?_

_Oooh, snarky today, aren't ya?_

_Like you aren't ever Mrs. Snark yourself, Maximum._

_True that. True that._

The Voice didn't reply, and I took that to mean that the conversation was over. Well, wasn't that a pleasant change from usual?

"Max, you done?"

I nodded. "Sorry, the Voice was talking. Angel, Fang, Trinity, you guys will split off with me once we get to Colorado and make sure everyone else is safe. Then we're off on our own."

"That sounds like a plan." Trin turned to Ana. "I'll go gather the twins' things together if you want to go help the others pack?"

"I'll help you," I said to Trinity, and followed him out of the room, leaving Fang to take care of leader-type things while I was gone. Trinity closed the door behind me when we got to Sable's room, where the twins were napping on the bottom bunk.

"So what do you want to talk about?" Trinity asked in a low voice, gently shaking Nicky's shoulder.

I picked up Anna Marie, who had woken up when her twin socked her in the ribs as he yawned and stretched. "Something the Voice was saying bugs me. It was telling me that I should bring you, Fang, and Angel when I head off to find Te—my kid, but that it would be really dangerous. It could be years until we met back with the Flock."

"And that has certain implications, doesn't it," he said with a sigh. "Nicky, Annie, would you be sad if Daddy left for a long, long time?"

Anna Marie gasped and Nicholas stared at him with wide eyes, his lower lip beginning to tremble. "Uh-huh, Daddy!" Anna Marie whimpered.

I patted her back sympathetically, and Trinity let a small, sad smile cross his face. "What if I brought you back two new friends, and saved the world?"

"Like a supah-hewo?"

"Like a superhero," Trinity affirmed.

Annie held out her arms for her dad and he let her hug his neck. Nicky buried his face in Trinity's chest. "Don' wan' you leavin'," he grumbled. "Even for supah-hewo biz."

"That's okay, kiddo," Trinity said, kissing his son's tuft of hair. "I'll be home for a few more days. We're moving to a new house, it'll be a lot of fun. And you'll have Mommy there, too."

That seemed to appease the youngster. Nicky's shoulders drooped in resignation because he was Mama's boy and he knew just having one parent wouldn't be as bad as none, but he still buried himself in Trinity's chest. "No go. I miss you."

Trinity pulled him closer and tightened his grip on the twins' small bodies. "I'll miss you too. How about I promise to bring my laptop, and I can video call you, and phone call you, and email you? You can use mommy's email to talk to me, and mommy's phone."

Annie pouted at him. "'Ow you tuck me in so fa' away?"

Trinity's face absolutely crumpled, and I took a step back. The look on his face, so tender and so terribly loving was too much for me. I opened the door, stepped out, and closed it behind me—but I didn't miss the sudden gleaming of Trinity's eyes, and the swelling of his voice as he said, "I love you."

"Tough goodbye?" I jumped as I heard Fang's voice behind me. I smiled.

"Yeah…are you picking up old habits? It's been awhile since you scared me."

He shrugged. "You were just distracted."

"Yeah. Very distracted." I ran a hand through my hair and made a mental note to get a haircut soon. "You packed up?"

"Yep."

"Darn, I got to go do my stuff now—" Wordlessly, he held up my backpack. "Have I told you I love you yet today?"

His eyes were sparkling as he dumped the backpack ever so lovingly on to my foot. "Love me now?"

I grimaced, picked up the bag, and chucked it at him. "Yup, love me?"

"I dunno, you did just chuck an anvil at my head." But he set the backpack on the ground and came closer to me, so close that I could feel his breath on my skin. He blew my bangs out of my face. "You need a haircut."

"I know." I brushed it back, smiling up at him. "You need one too. You're like...a black sheep."

"Do you like sheep?"

His hands on either side of my head were warm and gentle. How could I say no? "Well…you'll do."

"I feel so loved Max." He leaned forward, breathing in my ear, teasing me. "You love sheep more than me."

Catlyn came racing by. "Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Fang is a ninja and Max loves sheep! Fang is a ninja sheep! YOU OWE ME FIVE BUCKS, ANGEL!"

Fang ignored her and pressed his mouth against mine ever so lightly, one of his hands slipping down to my back, and his other cupping the back of my neck as I leaned in to him.

"EW!" Catlyn zoomed by us again, laughing hysterically. "Mushiness happened! You owe me six!"

Angel stomped by, her shoulders hunched. "Here's three bucks, a nickel, and a packet of gum," she said.

"OOOOH! GUM! THAT'S FAIR!"

"You can stop yelling now."

"YOU SURE?"

I pulled away from Fang enough to snap, _"I'm_ sure."

Catlyn shut up quickly and she grabbed Angel's hand. She began to lead her away, speaking in a loud whisper, "Come on, let's go get some coffee!"

I rolled my eyes and then my lips were captured by Fang's again, and I forgot to be annoyed. Angel cleared her throat as she was pulled out of view. "I thought we were packing for a reason!"

Fang pulled away and smirked at her. "We're already packed, missy."

"So you can start helping others then, or get going rather than keep snogging."

I sighed.

"She's right," Fang said and nodded, but kept one arm around me as we kicked the backpacks down the hall.

I paused, hooking my other arm around him and holding him with me when I stopped moving. "Yes, but there's some things I've got to take care of first."

"Hm?"

"Jeb's still outside. I've got to kick his ass for him."

* * *

**Trinity**

I sighed, brushing wings with Ana. "Did you hear what Nudge was chattering on about? They found that gizmo of Catlyn's again and she took it with her. I don't think Jason is going to be able to survive very long, poor guy. I thought I hid it pretty good among the Furby stash."

"It was only a matter of time," Ana said. "You just have to resign yourself to the fact that that kid can do anything that will lead to the maximum annoyance."

"I know Ana, but for some strange reason I keep wishing."

"Wish on me, Daddy!" my little dandelion squealed from where she was on her mom's back. Nicky was on my back; the twins were light enough to carry, and they were too slow on their own wings at the moment, so we were carrying them in their carriers.

I laughed and flew over Ana's back, leaning down to blow on Anna Marie's head. She giggled and squirmed pleasantly. Ana dipped down and away from me, clipping my wing as she soared to hover above me, wings in beat with mine. She tickled Nicky. "Is it cozy on Daddy's back?"

I could hear his voice in my ear as he tried to be heard over the wind, "Yeah, Mommy!"

"Are you hungry? I have fruit snacks for you and Annie."

Nicky shook his head. "Nah."

"Okay, kiddo."

And then suddenly Ana dropped below me, and was shouting, "Trin, grab Annie! Hurry!"

I hesitated a moment and then tried to do what she had said—but Anna Marie had gotten free of her harness and jumped.

She flapped her wings, struggling to fly, but sinking like a rock. I immediately flew back upward as Ana shot after her. If I had gone I could have lost Nicky. Anna Marie seemed to have just got her wings shakily figured out right before Ana caught her and crushed her to her chest, flying back to me and Nicky, her cheeks flushed. Annie was grinning at me like a cheeky little devil.

"You see me Daddy? You see me?"

"Yes, I saw you," I grumbled. "Don't do that again, or I'll make you sit with Auntie Max."

Annie's eyes got wide. "Okay Daddy! Okay!"

Ana adjusted her grip on Annie. "Either we stop so I can get Annie back on my back, or we give her to someone else," she called up to me.

I zeroed in on Fang.

Annie followed my gaze and began to squeal. "Uncle Fnick! Uncle Fnick! Uncle Fnick! Uncle _Fniiiiick_!"

He groaned, but I could feel that he was quite the happy fellow as I pulled the baby carrier off of Ana's back and dropped it to him; he managed to put it on his chest, and then he flipped onto his back to grab Anna Marie as Ana swooped down. Soon Annie was settled happily under Fang's chin, and babbling away.

"Uncle Fnick! Uncle Fnick! Uncle Fnick, did you se me? Did you? Did you? Daddy said I can't do that again or I have to be with Auntie Max. But wasn't it coool?"

I could sense a twinge of annoyance on his part but it was overwhelmed as she grabbed one of his hands in her tiny little palms and squeezed.

"You have warm hands!"

I laughed.

Night fell, and we stopped at a hotel in Barstow for some Z's. After Ana and I'd tucked the kiddos in (Fang and Max watching TV quietly in the same room, to keep an eye on them) we went into the lobby to hang out with Dad and Gabe.

"We should get there tomorrow afternoon," Dad was telling Gabe as we sat down.

"That's good. Nicky's getting bored of being harnessed by now too, and even though I doubt he'll do what Annie did, I don't want him getting that idea."

"It was cool, though!"

I glared at Dad. Ana joined me. "Did you give her that idea?"

Gabe blushed. "Yeah, he did it!" he said and tried to glare at Dad, but his face gave it all away.

"Gabe!"

"Dad!"

"What can I say? Dandelion was cute and you know it!" I put a hand to my face and sighed. Gabe smiled at me. "She's a good little flyer."

Ana shook her head, yawned, and sat back with my cell phone out. "Sable says the raid passed over without any mishaps," she said.

I nodded. "We should tell the others that. Maybe that would stop their worrying."

"Or at least tell KIX," Dad said. "Poor kid hasn't smiled once today."

Gabe shook his head. "He's been a real downer. It's weird."

"Like you were any better," Dad muttered. Gabe looked away, his jaw tensing and his lips pulled thin in a grimace.

He got up, hand out for the phone. "If he's like me then we better tell him soon as possible then. I'll tell them now."

Ana handed it to him and we watched him leave down the hall. We were silent for a bit.

Dad poked me. "Have the kids had pop rocks yet?"

"They don't even have all their teeth yet. No. They have not."

Dad grinned. "They will soon, soon as they have their teeth. Every kid needs to have pop rocks, and you shall never find my stash in time."

I couldn't do anything but stare at him disbelief. Finally, I shook my head and rubbed my face. "I'm exhausted," I said. "I'm going to bed."

"Sleep while you can, just wait 'til they get their first sugar high courtesy of Grandpa." Ana smiled at me, and the grandpa in question did as well.

"Night, Trinity," he said and when Ana stood he said, "Night, Ana." As we walked down the hall together, he sat back with a magazine.

I stopped in front of the twins' room and tried the key a few times before it finally worked. Inside, the kids were fast asleep. Max had passed out on one of the free beds, and Fang was just about to nod off on the couch. Animal Planet was on quietly in the background.

I shook his shoulder. "Hey, man, crash on the bed," I urged. He shook his head and curled up more on the couch, turning his back to me, and buried his face in the pillow. I was considering dumping him on the floor, but Ana dropped a blanket on top of him before I could do so.

She pulled out her pajamas. "I'm going to get ready for bed," she said softly.

I nodded and let her change in the bathroom. After she came out it was my turn, and after I was finished I was ready to conk out on the floor, let alone a bed. And there was only one more bed; Ana was already on it.

And Fang had the couch.

And there were no other beds in the other rooms…

Ana squinted at me. "What's the matter?"

I shook my head, grabbed a pillow from the end of the couch that Fang wasn't using, and then my jacket and began making a space beside the twins. But Ana grabbed my arm. "I think morals can be excused at the moment," she said.

"Actually, they can't," I said quietly. "I'll sit with you till you fall asleep, if you want, but I can't sleep in the same bed with you till we get married…"

Ana sighed, and I heard her mumble something about Vegas. I felt vaguely annoyed, but sat down on the free bed. "Besides," I said. "If I sleep with Nicky and Annie, they'll feel better and won't have as many nightmares."

She pouted, just like Annie. She saw my logic but didn't want to acknowledge it. "Lay with me until then please. Make sure I don't have nightmares too."

I nodded and accepted her into my arms, tucking her in and lying down beside her, on top of the covers. She nestled into my side and wrapped her arms around my waist; her head rested on my chest. I kissed her hair.

"How do you do, Princess?"

"Tell me a story?"

"I don't know any stories."

"Songs?"

"You know I can't sing for beans…"

"I like it when you sing... Will you read to me instead?"

"What book?"

She shrugged. "What do we have in the backpack?" I got up for a moment, then came back with a small reading light and our tattered copy of _The Hobbit._ "This'll be fun," she mumbled happily.

"Don't be so sure on that. Just wait until I stumble over words and lose my place half a million times."

"That's what I meant by 'fun', smart one."

"Oh, haha. And we wonder where Annie gets it."

"Nope. That parts all you."

"Not me," I protested. "Dad."

"Those genes didn't come from my side of the family."

I stroked her hair. "Do you want me to read or not?"

She squirmed, rolling around to face me. "I want you to read. I'll be good if you do, promise...I just can't promise I won't interrupt."

She fell asleep within the first five pages. I sighed, burying my face in her hair. "I love you," I told her gently, and waited a few more moments before tucking her in and giving her a pillow in place of my shoulder. I turned off the reading light, put the book on the night stand, and then climbed under the covers with Nicky and Annie in their bed.

Nicky turned his dark eyes to me, and when he saw my face he smiled slightly and rolled back over. "Night, Daddy," he said.

"Night Nicky." I whispered, leaning over to ruffle Annie's hair in her sleep. "Night Dandelion."

I fell asleep with the twins cuddled together in my arms, warm and cozy and peaceful. I woke with Nicky slapping my stomach and Annie yanking my hair. "Sun's up Daddy! Sun's up!"

Fang lobbed a pillow at us and the twins squealed with delight. "Shut up, Kiddies," Fang groaned.

"Be nice, Fang," Max said. She was fully dressed and looked well-rested.

"Some of us like our sleep Max." He made a face at her.

Ana came in, also dressed and ready for the day. "We're leaving in an hour," she said. "Annie, Nicky, go play with the others, okay?"

They nodded, tripping over their own feet and each other in order to get out the door first. "Auntie Kate! Uncle KIX! Uncle Gazzy! Auntie Angel! Everybody! Sun's up!"

I flopped back in bed for a moment, then rolled over and reached for my backpack and a fresh change of clothes. "I can't wait to get there," I sighed. "My wings hurt so badly."

Ana frowned. "If it bothers you, think how tired the younger set is. We better get there today."

I nodded.

She tossed a package of fruit snacks at me. "You've got Annie today, she likes the blue ones."

I shook my head and went to get changed. Soon, everyone was ready; we checked out of the hotel, double and triple checked everything, and left.

Annie squirmed for a long while, then decided it was a lot more fun to make airplane noises when Gazzy pretended to explode. I managed to tune them out safely for a good amount of time, but eventually we needed lunch and we stopped at a restaurant. Once that was done, we were on our way again.

Finally, Dad signaled for me and Max to come up beside him, and he pointed at the mountains ahead. "See that group of trees by that rock?"

"Yeah. What about them?"

"The house is right in there."

Max nodded, taking the initiative to fly just a bit ahead of us and just a it quicker. She wanted to be there first. I fell back by Ana, with Annie waving wildly at her mother. "Dad says the house is just ahead."

"Good." Everyone who had heard me was relieved.

"Uncle Gazzy! Uncle Gazzy! UFO!"

He blinked at Annie once before mimicking the UFO from the Mater Disney commercials' voice, saying, "U-F-O!"

She squealed with delight while the rest of us groaned.

Luckily, we didn't have to deal with it for long. Soon we were angling our wings downward and then landing in small groups on the front lawn of a huge, huge house. We were surrounded by trees, and the lawn was overgrown and rather wild—but the place was perfect.

Max walked back to us. "The others aren't here yet," she said, referring to the group of non-Avian Americans that were travelling by car.

"Not surprising," I remarked. "Slow pokes."

Kate stuck her tongue out at me. "Not their fault they don't have wings."

I shrugged.

"It's not their fault they aren't cool like us." Iggy shrugged. "How's the house?"

As Kate began describing the exterior, I went to go help Dad. He was wading through the grass towards the door, a key in hand. It took him a few moments to open the door, and then he paused. "Wait here," he said, and then he took Gabriel, Max, and Fang inside to scout out the rooms and make sure there hadn't been anyone there or anyone still there.

After a few minutes Fang came back out, waving me in. "Trin, Ana. Can the rest of you hold on a minute?"

I set Annie down, and told her to go hang out with Nicky with Iggy. Then Ana and I went inside the dark house.

We followed Fang to were Dad, Gabe and Max waited. They all smiled at us thinly, with Fang tucking Max under his arm. Dad gestured towards the floor. In the dust were similar tracks to those we'd seen before, but no blood and no sign of a struggle. Dad laughed softly. "Liz let us know she was here, and she left little things out of place as her clues this time around."

"So we just situate everyone in a room where there's nothing moved, and then we go around the house with a notebook and find everything out of place?"

Dad shrugged. "Unless you have a better idea."

I shook my head, and Fang produced a notebook. We went to stand in the living room first, as it seemed to be virtually untouched and spread out in pair from here. Max and Fang, Gabe and Dad, Ana and I of course. We regrouped after a while, and Fang held out his notebook. "There's some things out of place in a bedroom."

"Which one? What floor, which hallway?"

"Second floor, last hallway. The room with the awesome view."

Gabriel seemed shocked. "That's my room—Gwen's room."

Fang's eyebrows shot up. "You should check that out. You'd get those clues better than the rest of us."

Gabe accepted the notebook, and we followed him up to the room in question. He looked it over, then looked back at the notebook.

"The scarf I gave her...her favorite book...the picture of her and Liz..." They were all on the bed; then there was another photograph, framed, of the Golden Gate Bridge. The date on the picture—scrawled in pen—was just a few weeks ago.

Gabriel's face fell. "She was so close," he said to Angelus despairingly.

Angelus took the picture from him. "She'll be with you again soon. They'll both be with us...and they'll meet their grandchildren and spoil them rotten."

"What about this other stuff?" I asked, pointing over their shoulders at the notebook.

Angelus shook his head. "It's all stuff about how they're safe, looking for us, and they're still being chased. I think there's actually a real note—with words, a letter, or something—somewhere. I don't know where, though. But from these, and the time it would have taken them to do this, there had to have been a letter…"

"Then we'll find it." I grabbed Ana's hand. "We can get everyone in here and looking for it if you're sure we've found all the clues we're going to find."

"How about we just all get some lunch and take showers and _then_ we look some more?" Max suggested timidly. "You guys are all worn out."

I smiled at her. "The twins are going to be a handful with bath time."

I nodded. "I'll do it?"

She gave me a grateful look, and I turned to the others. "I'll see you in a bit."

When I went back out Iggy was in a deep conversation with Nicky, and I didn't know to be afraid or amused until I got close enough to hear that they weren't discussng bombs, but rather or not the sky was blue.

"It's purple."

"Kid, I may be blind, but the sky's blue."

"It's green."

"Blue."

"Orange."

"Kid! You're killing me! Trin, get this brat away from me before he makes my head explode!"

"Gladly. Nicky, it's bath time!"

Nicky's mouth popped open. "But I don't wanna go to bed! Sun's up!"

"You don't have to go to bed, but you do have to be clean," I said. "I promise."

He stared up at me, his mouth set in a firm line in an expression that I knew he must have learned from Fang. After a minute he raised his arms up to me to have me pick him up, his face all serious. "Well okay, if you say so. But no bed time! You promise."

I set him on my hip and brought him into the house, and upstairs into the bathroom.

He began to squirm at the sight of the tub. "Daddy, I not _that_ dirty..."

I sat him down on the closed toilet seat and then turned the water on. "Do you want bubbles?" I asked, not paying attention to him.

"...Is there a pirate ship?"

I smiled and brought out the little plastic ship that Max had gotten him for his first birthday just a few months ago. "You can only play with it if you promise to attack it with the invisible ninja ship," I said.

"Only if you're the pirate!"

"So you'd have me beaten up by Uncle Fnick? Okay Nicky, if that's what you want." He nodded excitedly. I tested the water's temperature and then stopped the flow. "Alright, get in, buddy."

He flapped his wings wildly, getting bubbles everywhere. We played pirate versus ninja for a while, and then I decided it was time for him to actually get clean—I massaged the shampoo into his hair, and then turned on the showerhead to wash it out. The water was hotter than the other water, but still comfortable; but steam began to curl around me.

Then Nicky looked up through his wet bangs, and gasped. "Daddy, there's writing on the wall!"

"Nice try Nicky, but this pirate isn't--" I'd caught the amazed look and turned around, to see my Mother's apparent 'note'. "Nicky, your grandmother was very original." I scooped him up out of the tub and wrapped him in a towel, shouting out the bathroom door. "Dad! Nicky found the note! Get in here!"

Dad burst in, notebook in hand, and wrote down the note quickly. He nodded, then jumped back out. "GOT IT!"

I gave him a weird look as I brought out my damp son and grabbed the bag with his and Annie's clothes. "What room are we putting the twins in?"

"Follow me," Ana said.

As I began to follow her, a little dandelion came in and attached herself to my legs. "Daddy! Daddy! My turn! My turn! Uncle Fnick said bubbles!"

I handed off Nicholas to Anna, scooped up Annie, and then gave my fiancé a look. "Fill me in as soon as this is over," I said.

She nodded. "Of course."

Nicky shouted after his sister, "Ask for the pirate ship!"

I didn't have a chance to read the writing when I was bathing Annie, but once I came out with her and dressed her and sent her to play with Nicky, Ana came over to fill me in. She sat by me on the couch. "They love us, and any grandchildren they might have. They're in a hurry. Something big is happening. They're trying to help us, but can't seem to catch us."

I accepted the scrap of paper the message had been copied onto.

"'Husbands, children, and company—

"'We love you and any other additions to the family as well. We've heard a lot of rumors from ITEX, and we're not sure what's true and isn't—but we love you all the same. Among these rumors are some scary things, some scary big things. We're trying to help, trying to find you…but we can't. We're always one step ahead or behind. Can't leave messages to meet up, we're being followed. We can't stay in one place long, not even a night.

"'We love you, and we're relatively safe. Take care of yourselves. See you, Liz and Gwen.'"

I shook my head. "Did this perk Gabe up or make him worse?"

"Hard to tell," Ana sighed.

"Must be hard... But at least we know they're safe, and we'll meet up with them eventually. We're close." She nodded and leaned against my shoulder. I stroked her hair. "What do you think our moms will be like? We've heard the dads talk and all."

Ana bit her lip. "I don't want to say," she said. "Just in case it jinxes it."

I nodded. "Yeah."

Ana was quiet for a while. Then, "When are you heading out?"

"When Fang and Max head out."

"Soon then."

"Probably." I held my breath and waited for the dreaded question of, _When are you going to be back?_ I hadn't told her what Max had told me. I didn't have the strength to tell her I might not come back… God, I couldn't even look at her now. What if I _didn't_ come back? Even if I did, it might be in years… The thought of being away from her for so long was agonizing.

"I'll miss you," she whispered.

I kissed her. "Not as much as I'll miss you." She pulled away and then came back, her lips coming and going like a wave and her hands caressing my face and hair. We pulled apart only when we heard the sound of little feet.

"Mommy! Daddy! Hide me!"

One of the twins, I couldn't tell who, dove behind the sofa we were sitting on. Kate came in, hands on hips. "Oh, I wonder where my nephew could be." She winked at us.

"What do you want him for?" I asked bemusedly.

She shrugged. "Somehow taking his picture transformed into a game of hide and seek… And I'm gonna tickle him when I find him!"

There was a poorly concealed groan from behind the sofa.

"Hmmmm...Do you know where he is Ana?"

"Nope," Ana said, but she was grinning ear to ear.

There was a giggle. Kate pursed her lips. "I dunno...What do you think Trinity? Is he in here?"

"I was too busy to notice anyone," I said wryly.

"Of course." Kate began to creep across the room, making a show of looking everywhere but behind the couch. "Oh where, oh where could he be...?"

I looked back at Nicky to see him meeting my eyes and shaking his head slowly back and forth, grinning. I was smiling widely. "Hey Kate."

"Hm?"

"I think I see something."

"Oh really?"

"Yes—"

"Run, Nicky!" Ana laughed and tackled me. Nicky cackled and ran off like a madman in a perfect imitation of his uncles. Kate was right behind him.

"Get back here so I can tickle you Nicholas Gabriel! Anna Marie, help me with your brother!"

"No! No!"

I looked at Ana as the twins' squeals and the sound of their and Kate's feet faded. My fiancé was beaming. "They're gone again."

"You tackled me."

"So?"

I tangled my hands in her hair and crushed her lips to mine. "How about we stay down here a bit?"

"I could live with that."

* * *

**December 5****th**

**Angel**

I stood in the front hallway, bundled up and with a backpack stuffed with clothes. Trinity carried supplies, and Fang had the laptop and other tech. Max had more clothes. All three of them were bundled up as well, and they were armed with goggles and hats and scarves. The Weather Channel forecasted lots and lots of snow in our future.

Trinity was sitting in the middle of the hall, his legs stretching across the corridor to the other wall; his children were huddled in his lap, sniffling bravely as they said goodbye.

Annie was shoving something at her father, but I could hear her whispering. "So you can torture Uncle Fnick." There was no doubt in my mind that she was making sure Trinity had a Furby. To have dealt with the little monster on her own she was one brave little girl.

Max was speaking to the other adults about plans and how we'd be keeping in touch. I'd speak to them if I was ever in range, and then we had a cell phone, and Fang's laptop… If we found out that we were being followed or attacked, we'd lessen our communication, but for now we'd keep them updated regularly.

And Fang was standing beside me, emitting a dull ache from his mind, which was blocked off.

I sighed. _Is that Trinity's, or yours?_

_Both,_ he admitted reluctantly. _I like his kids too, you know._

_I know. _I fidgeted with my pack._ We're bringing them friends, maybe they'll forgive us._

_Maybe._

I pulled away from his mind, drifting towards Max's. She wasn't letting herself think about it now, but she'd think more when she was flying. She wouldn't think of leaving her flock, her home, when she hadn't even left yet. She wouldn't let herself miss them before they were gone. She was planning, packing, and thinking of her sons. I entered her head as if I hadn't noticed any of this. _Max, Fang's sad about leaving the kids. Make him a little happier. They're going to pick up on it and make it worse._

She shot Fang an annoyed glance, and came over from where she'd finished with the adults. "I'm trying to think of names," she said. "I know we can't name them until we see their personalities, but I'm thinking George."

"_George?"_ Fang repeated, and snorted.

"If they look like you they'll be little monkey kids. Think Curious George."

He rolled his eyes, but I gave Max a thumbs-up from behind his back. He was distracted.

I turned to see KIX standing awkwardly in the doorway, half-hidden from view. The look on his face was bleak, and there were circles under his usually bright eyes. He looked miserable.

I trotted over to him and slipped my hand in his, brushing my hair behind my ear before reaching up to brush his out of his face and poke his face. "Why aren't you smiling?"

"I miss her," he said. "Give it a few days and it won't hurt so much… But I still miss her." He pouted.

I sighed and scuffed my shoe. "She misses you too, silly. We all know it hurts...But you could not be a party pooper. It's not helping anyone and makes the rest of us sad." I perked up. "Could _you_ make brownies?"

He blinked. "You mean no one's made any yet?" I shook my head, and he set his jaw. "This is horrible!" he muttered as he walked away. "It must be remedied immediately!"

I was quite proud of myself and beamed at Max when I slipped by her and Fang to go outside and wait. Our goodbyes had been said. We were just prolonging the inevitable.

I gave Catlyn and Nudge a hug each, then flounced out. Trinity soon followed, his cheeks flushed and his shirt a bit damp from where Annie had burst into tears. We took off, casting glances over our shoulders in an attempt to burn the images of waving hands, friendly faces, and a safe house into our minds. I felt everyone's longing and wistfulness, but none of them came close to the amount of sadness I had in my heart.

I knew this was the last time I would be seeing many of them.

Fang's wings brushed against mine as he caught up with Max. She had taken the lead as usual. He smiled at me tightly over his shoulder, trying to be friendly.

I felt his mind. He was worried for his brother, who was distracted, but understood. He missed those we had left already. He was glad to be on his way to rescuing his son, his heart soaring when he caught up with Max. He may have been sad, but when his eyes met mine for a second time he was also very clearly happy.

I beamed back at him.

"You know what?" I asked no one in particular. "I think we should sort ourselves into Harry Potter houses. I mean there are four of us!"

"But who wants to be in Slytherin?"

"Not all of them are evil, Max," I said seriously. "Regulus wasn't."

"I call Slytherin!" That was Fang.

"I'm Ravenclaw!" said Trin.

"…Why don't you want Gryffindor?" Max asked him.

"Because they're rash, too brave, too courageous… That's you."

She wrinkled her nose at him. "At least I'm brave." She laughed at me. "And that makes you a Hufflepuff, unless you want to be Gryffindor instead. I don't mind."

"Cedric Diggory was a hero!" I said cheerily. "I'd be proud to represent his house!"

"Poor Cedric. You gotta avoid those Avada Kadavras..." We all shook our heads sadly.

"I mean, just think—you could be reincarnated as a sparkly vampire fairy!" Trinity said.

"Or a gay artist."

"…Same thing?"

"Only in the movies. I liked the books, just not overboard." That was Max.

"Never read the books," Fang and Trinity said. "Just seen the movie," finished Trin.

I rolled my eyes. "I can't imagine you guys reading those books anyway."

Both of the boys nodded firmly, relieved. Fang wondered, _Does this mean that they'll stop with all the Figgy stories now that they know I'm not gay?_

_Sorry Fang, but probably not. You know how it is. At least there hasn't been any...Um...Tang? Frin?_

_You should have heard—_ Fang cut himself off and blushed.

_What, Fang?_ I asked, curious.

_Nothing, it's inappropriate, it's about Max, and it's adult. Shut it._

…_Okay, Fang…_ _Just wait until I tell the FangGirls…_ Okay, so that last bit was mostly to myself, but I let him hear it anyway.

_Angel. You wouldn't—never mind, you would. Don't. I'm begging you. FangGirls are worse than Furbies._

_Really now? _Oh, this would be perfect…

_Angel!_

I laughed and ducked away.

_Really, Angel!_

I laughed evilly, gaining a glance from Trinity that I ignored; I was watching Max. She had to have known Fang and I were talking. She always noticed. I flew up by her, Fang falling back to fly by Trin. I bumped into her lightly. "What's wrong Max?"

"Nothing," she said, "just something that Jeb told me."

I bristled. "Jack—"

"Angel!" she snapped. "I know he's a fnicking moron, but you don't have to swear!"

I had the decency to look repentant.

* * *

**3****rd**** Person POV**

The quartet covered quite a bit of ground before nightfall, and they only stopped to sleep once it became too cold and too dark to continue. After eating, Angel fell asleep quickly, and Fang settled down on the branch above with his laptop. Trinity sprawled at in the tree across from them, and Max packed up the mess they'd all made at 'dinner'; then she climbed up and straddled the branch Fang was on, watching his brow furrow in the light from his screen.

She sighed softly and leaned forward, resting her head on the sneaker he had on top of the branch to keep him balanced. He didn't move, but she knew it was okay.

_Voice?_ she asked, but didn't receive an answer. Her head seemed strangely empty without another person in there, and she was glad. She closed her eyes and exhaled softly, listening to the hum of Fang's laptop, his fingers tapping on the keys, and the noises of the cold night…

_Max?_

This wasn't the Voice—she'd learned to distinguish between the two minds, and she knew this was Jeb. She tensed.

_What do you want, _**Dad?**

_There's something I want to tell you… But you have to promise not to hate me. It has nothing to do with me. Don't kill me, please!_

Max grumbled something that probably had been the main contributing factor to Angel's newly acquired potty mouth, and Fang asked, "Jeb?"

Max nodded against his foot and sighed. She was too tired for this, and way too tired to put up a fight. Gruffly, she asked, _What?_

_You're different than Trinity and Ana. They're more avian than you and the flock, it's true—but they're also more…realistic, for lack of a better word. The rest of their bodies are more human than yours. They need bigger wings to carry the differences; they have bigger bones than you, they're heavier than you, and Ana can carry children, as you experienced with Nicholas Gabriel and Anna Marie._

_I don't see what's so important, unless you're talking about biological things. In which case, unless it has to do with expiration dates or food allergies I should know about, I.D.C._

_I.D.C.?_

_I. Don't. Care._

…_Max! This is important!_

_Get on with it, old man. _She could practically hear him sigh.

_It has to do with potential children you might want._

_I think two is enough._

_**Max.**_

_Fine!_

_You cannot physically carry children. You're too thin, and you're too slight. It would be impossible. That's why they collected the biological data so early from you—they were afraid you would lose all reproductive capabilities later on. In vitro'ing it was the only way for them to be sure they could do it at all._

…_So Ten and Eleven are it?_

_Yes… You would have a miscarriage if you ever did…ehem…_

There was a period of silence and then a sleep Max shouted, _AWKWARD TURTLE!_ at Jeb and sat up, ending the conversation.

"Fang, do you want more kids after Ten and Eleven?" she asked.

He looked up and blinked rapidly. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Jeb just told me it would be physically impossible to have more children after Ten and Eleven," Max explained. "My body's too thin for it."

Fang took a deep breath, and then closed his now shut-off laptop. He carefully set it in his backpack, and hung it on another branch, taking his time. Finally, he turned back to Max and put his hands on the space of branch between them. She put her hands on his.

"I don't really care," he said. "Sure, I'd welcome them if we had more—but if two's it, then that's fine." He squeezed her fingers and she smiled. "I have a question for you," he said after a second.

"Go ahead."

"How come you aren't freaking out?"

"Like Ana did?"

He nodded.

"I have no idea. I've been waiting for the kaboom! of realization and panic to hit me, but it's taken its time in coming. What, do you _want_ me to start screaming?"

Instead of answering, Fang pulled her to him and settled her in his lap. His arms circled 'round her back and he rested his chin on the top of her head. Not for the first time did she recognize his sharply defined chin as it poked into her head, but she didn't mind at the moment. "When it does come," he said huskily into her ear, "I'll be here for you."

* * *

**December 8****th**

**Max**

The _kaboom!_ didn't come until the explosion, really.

We'd flown a bit more in the direction Jeb had told us, and after we passed the town he named we knew we were close. Just twenty more minutes of flying across wilderness and trees and snow, I could see the ominous building of the NuTex Holding Unit up ahead.

"This is it," I called over my shoulder. "Angel, am I right?"

"Right. He's there. I can feel his mind."

"How is he?"

She closed her eyes and fell behind for a moment; we slowed down until she caught up. "He's not in good condition," she said. "That's about all I can tell. He's unconscious."

Images of dissection labs, mysterious machines, the smell of sterilized metals and the salty taste of blood flooded my mind. I didn't notice I'd put on too much speed until Fang caught up, breathing heavily, and grabbed my foot.

I smiled sheepishly and Trinity called, "So what's the plan again?"

Having watched 'Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian' before we left Sable's house, I shouted, "We're Avian-Americans! We don't plan—we _do!"_

And so we quietly dove past the surveillance cameras and snuck our way in. It was surprisingly easy, and it was strangely quiet. Even for ITEX, it was quiet. Usually there would have been the nearly imperceptible hum of mechanical things, or the voices of scientists as they murmured their notes to each other or bossed the experiments around.

I halfway turned to Angel, pushing my thoughts at her. I wasnt even going to dare whispering, you could probably hear a pen drop in this place. The scuffing of our shoes and rustling of our clothes could probably be heard by everyone--that or I'm just paranoid. _Angel. What's going on? Where are they?_

She looked at me with an unnerved expression. _I'm not sure,_ she said slowly. _Ten's just down the hall. But I don't know. I don't… I don't think there _are_ any scientists…_

"Seriously? There's no one here?" I stepped around from peering around the wall I'd been hiding behind and just waltzed out into the corridor. "Do you think they were going to kill him by neglect?"

"They did put him in solitary confinement," Trinity said quietly.

I walked ahead of him, in the general direction of where Angel said he was. "Well, we're here now. Unless they found out we're coming and there's some way they can hide their tiny minds from Angel, this'll be easy. And it's not like we can't kick their butts anyway," I assured myself, glancing back at Fang for support.

He smiled, shrugged modestly, and pointed at a door to my left. I reached for it, put my hand on the handle and took a deep breath. I could feel them pressing in behind me as I turned the handle; it was unlocked.

Inside was pitch black, and cold. As I stood in the doorway I could see my breath frosting the air. The light from the hallway only lit up a thin rectangle of the room, and all around it was dark. I couldn't see anything else, I couldn't hear anything. Not even breathing.

"He's in there," Angel said, hearing my doubts. "I don't know where the lights are, though…"

I bit my lip, stepping inside first. I was partially afraid the kid would jump out at me like so many other half crazed experiments I'd seen. They'd attack whatever was coming, trying to avoid the pain, the experiments... "Kid? You in here...? Ten?"

There was no response. Not even a whimper, or a hiss. Just silence.

I reached out blindly, rotating on the spot. I didn't dare plunge into the darkness because I was afraid I might trip over something—like a crate, or a sleeping body…or a not sleeping body…

And then Trinity said, "I found a flashlight," and he clicked it on.

I squinted into the glare of the beam, and then accepted it from him when I realized he was holding it out to me. I began swinging it around the room, and then I saw something shine on the far side of the wall. I stepped towards it, and Fang followed behind me like a shadow.

The shine came from my reflection on a wall of tinted glass. I put my hand out for it but it turned out to be concave and I fell forward. My face ended up a centimeter from the glass, and then I saw _it._

It was the strangest thing I had ever seen, with tubes and wires… I narrowed my eyes to try and see through the tint and the glare and the darkness and my own breath fogging the window-wall. The machine took up the entire room in there, whatever it was, filling the floor with cables both thick and thin. The wall was entirely made of metal, with buttons flashing softly and screens lit very, very dimly. In the exact center was a dark spot with four round pieces of metal protruding into it. I handed the flashlight to Fang. "Shine it there?" I pointed.

He did, and then the darkness moved. Whatever was inside the machine was humanoid, and its skin was ghostly pale; its head snapped up as we looked. A pair of crimson eyes flashed, and then the most god-awful feeling pierced my head. It was almost as bad as—and then it was _worse_ than a brain attack.

When the attack ended I found myself on the ground with my hands clutching my exploded skull together and cursing bitterly with no regard for Angel being present. I immediatly shut up, then cursed once more as I stood and shook my head. "What was that?"

Fang and Trinity both had streaming eyes and I could hear Trinity making little exclamations of pain in the background; Angel was the only one unaffected. She put her hand in mine and squeezed, "It's a defense mechanism," she said. "That's Ten."

"_That's_ Ten!" I repeated, horrified, and then the noise started again—it was a high-pitched sound that I could feel tickling my brain back into an attack. Angel's hair crackled with a spark of static, and the sound stopped.

"That's Ten," she said. "Now stop talking so loud, you're scaring him."

With my eyes about popping out of my head I walked the length of the glass and found the door and walked over to the machine, never letting go of Angel's hand. I began to reach out to the spot I had seen him in but stopped, looking at her. "Am I still scaring him?"

"He's not conscious," she whispered. "He only registers the sounds. He can't feel you."

I lowered my voice to match her tone. "How do we get him out?"

"I don't know."

"How's he doing the brain attacks?"

"I'm not really sure…it's like he and the machine are connected somehow. He's controlling it."

"Is it an ability, or just…something freaky they did?"

"I don't know."

"Max!" Fang hissed, and I whirled around. In the doorway stood a tall silhouette in a tattered lab coat, with what looked like a gun in its right hand. I flatted myself to the ground as Fang swung the flashlight in the person's face; Trinity tackled the figure, and I could feel the mental pulse as Angel sent a scream into the person's head.

And then Trinity sat up, and held his hand out to wave us off. "Wait, guys," he said softly. "Let him breathe."

The man was thin, dirty, and his eyes were wide with fright. This wasn't a lab coat to be afraid of, but we weren't letting him go. He scrambled up on his own and backed up against the wall, his hands up and empty. "Please, leave me alone! I don't know anything, I swear!"

"Wait, we need you to know something!" I said as loudly as I could whisper. "How do we get him out?"

The guy looked at me and then behind me. His eyes popped wider and so did his mouth. He curled his arms around his head as if to protet himself from a skull explosion. "You can't!" he hissed. "He doesn't let you! It hurts!"

I looked over at Angel, and she nodded, coming into the light. "Can you at least tell us where the lights are, Mr. Daniels?" she asked in her soft angel voice, reaching out and touching his hair in the innocent way she has.

"They're over there, by the table… But the light makes him hurt you!"

Angel nodded and patted his arm. "That makes sense. He's been in the dark a long time, hasn't he? That's why our flashlight scared him and he tried to hurt us. It's not his fault though, is it Rick? He's just scared, and he has a reason to be. He doesn't know what he's doing. I can stop him from hurting you too, I really can. And it won't hurt him very long, and he'll be better off out here than in there, wouldn't he? And wouldn't you like so much to leave here with us?"

He nodded along with her as she rambled on, echoing every thought in his head in an attempt to persuade him. It worked. He began to sway side to side. He closed his eyes. "You can stop it?"

She nodded and her mouth was in a thin line, but quirked up quickly in the corners. "Yes. And then you can get him out, can't you?"

He met her eyes and pulled his hands away from his head slowly. "Yes…if you can stop it… Turn on the light so I can see. I'll get him out."

The light flipped on to reveal Fang standing by the 'table'; it was more of a metal hospital bed than a table, complete with metal straps and dried blood on its surface.

I turned to watch the poor white coat—obviously starved and in very bad condition—limp over to the machine Ten was in.

He still had it in him to smile sheepishly at the unconscious boy and back at us. He bit his lip when he glanced at Angel, but turned back around when she nodded vigorously. His fingers roamed the machine. "This is gonna hurt little guy, please don't hurt us this time..."

Angel sighed. "I know what he's doing this time. I won't let him."

The guy didn't say a word, but the general feeling of nervousness subsided a bit. He pulled on wires, hit lights, tapped buttons, frowned and muttered to himself, and disapeared around the back of the machine for a moment.

Angel tapped Fang's arm. "Something's stuck. You're stronger than him. He needs your help."

As they worked, I stared at the moon-pale face of Ten. He was staring blankly at the floor, his sightless gaze having lowered after the initial surprise. There were dark circles under those red, red eyes, and his face was bony and gaunt. His hair was matted and long, but dark like his father's. He was dressed in the regulation hospital pants and shirt; they were loose and his pants were slipping off of his hips. His arms and legs were held spread-eagled in the four round metal protrusions I had noticed previously—they were handcuffs, holding him into the machine.

Angel pointed at some lever. "Trin, your turn."

Trin grabbed the lever and pulled, and then a visible change began to happen. Lights flashed, screens flickered and then ran with codes, and the machine beeped. I reached out for Ten and glanced back at Angel. She nodded. "Be ready to catch him," she said.

I stepped forward, and as he was released with a clank he fell into my arms. We Avians may be thin, but for this boy it literally felt like there was nothing there and that I was simply holding a bundle of clothes.

Trin looked back at me, then nodded, turning back to the machine that the other two were still behind. "She's got 'im, we're done."

Fang and the emaciated white coat appeared from behind the machine and I looked at him. "Is there anyone else here?" I asked.

He shook his head, but then pointed a shaking finger at the machine. "I think you should know…I just figured out that the machine is set to self destruct once he dies—or is removed from it…"

"WHAT?!?" Ten's eyes snapped open when I yelled and he tried to shove away from me. I didn't let the kid go. "Hold on! Explain later, we've gotta go!"

I tucked him against my hip and kicked Mr. Daniels towards Fang, who grabbed him by the arm; the five of us ran as fast as we could outside, and hightailed it out into the forest. When we barely made it to the cover would be when the explosion happened, and when Ten tucked himself against my shoulder, letting me take the brunt of the heat as I dove. My hair was singed, but I knew no one was burned. I laughed. Ten looked at me blankly.

Fang came over, but remained a few feet away to try not to crowd Ten. I gently stroked our son's hair. "It's okay," I said softly. "We've gotten you out of there, and we're going to find your brother now."

He perked up at that. His gaze wandered over all of us. Me, Fang, Trinity--he did a double take when it came to them, Mr. Daniels, Angel...and he looked back at me. "Who are you?"

"I'm your mom," I said. "But—but you don't have to think so if you don't want to." Inwardly I cringed, and I heard Angel hiss through her teeth with an astonished, _Max!_

But Ten continued to study me for a bit, and then his grip on my shirt collar tightened. "I see my face in you." He bit his lip and leaned away, his hands still tight on my blouse. "I see my face in them too..."

"It's because he's your dad." My voice had faded to a low whisper, and I could feel adrenaline beginning to pump through my arms. _Oh God not now, I don't want to freak out NOW!_ "And that's his brother."

"Which one's my dad? The one with hair like mine?"

"Yeah," I rasped. "That's Fang."

He nodded slowly. "And the other one?"

"Uncle Trinity. You have cousins. Anna Marie and Nicholas Gabriel."

He pointed at Angel. "Is that Anna Marie?"

"No, that's Angel. She's my little sweetheart. She's a member of my flock-our family."

He nodded again. "And you? What's your name?" My mouth went dry.

"Max. My name is Max."


	46. Chapter 43: Pieces of Peace

**Max**

He looked at me with those big, expressionless red eyes and he said, "Max," to himself with an air of satisfaction. Fang came over and set his arm around my shoulders. I felt Ten tense. Fang smiled at him.

"Max is short for Maximum Ride. She's amazing."

Ten looked between us, and I smiled encouragingly. His knees tightened around my waist. "Eleven told me about you," he said, "he talked all about you."

My lips twitched. "How'd he know us? What'd he say?"

"We heard about you," he said, "from the others. They'd come in, from outside, the scientists would bring them to Eleven's exercise room and they'd talk about how you would come and rescue us all."

I smiled brightly and turned to Fang. "Releasing them in New York and every time we could, and your blog... It's working. We're bringing them hope."

He gave me a brief smile. "Do you know where your brother might be?" he asked Ten.

He shook his head slowly. "No." He strained his mind to remember anything, anything at all. "Last place I saw him was where we were kept before, but I don't know..." He looked at me. "Promise you'll find him?"

I nodded. "Of course."

"But first you should get him showered, fed, and clothed," Trinity said seriously. "Both of them." He nodded at the scientist.

I nodded quickly and held Ten even tighter. He stayed rigid as a board and very alert. His eyes were on the lab coat. "I remember you."

The scientist cringed. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" he moaned, covering his head.

The boy blinked and tightened his hold on me again. Deciding he didn't know how to respond to that, he looked at me. "Where are we going now?"

"A place called a hotel," I said. "You can get clean, and get food, and new clothes. And a bed. Have you ever slept in a bed before?" He shook his head. "It's a great thing to do," I raved. "It's warm and soft…"

"Like you?" he asked innocently, and I felt myself blush. Fang and Trinity guffawed softly in the background.

"Um, not quite…" I turned to Fang. "Mr. Daddy better watch it by the way, he's been enjoying more brownies than I have."

Ten tugged on my shirt again. "Is he coming?" he whispered in my ear, and pointed at the scientist.

Angel met my gaze. _We can arrange for someone to pick him up,_ she said confidently.

"Maybe. Just for a little while," I said to Ten. "He'll be leaving soon."

He snuggled against me. "Okay."

I melted. "You ready to go now?" He nodded. "Alright. You guys ready?" They nodded, and the white coat just stood there, shaking. I wasn't really sure what we'd do with him. "Will we have to walk?" I asked the others.

Angel looked at him and sighed. "Yes. He'd never make it the way to the hotel by himself. I can stay with him though, if you want. You can fly ahead, it can't take us that long to catch up."

"But we can't just leave you…"

"Max," she said flatly, "I'm a big girl now."

"You're not even older than him!" I pointed my chin at Ten, who was staring at us.

She sighed dramatically. "There are years of difference mentally between me and most children my age, Max. Trinity can stay with me if you don't like it, anyway. You and Fang could fly ahead. It'd be better for the both of them to be in smaller groups anyway."

I hesitated, but the looks Trinity and Fang were giving me spoke volumes. I gave in. "Alright. Give me a hug?" She smiled and did so. I looked at Trinity. "If you two die…" I glared at him.

"I know. You'll expect me to come back as a zombie so you can kill me again. I'll do my best."

Fang and I flew away with Ten asking, "What's a zombie?"

"Something..." I thought about not telling him. I didn't want to scare him, or tell him to watch a scary movie when we got to the hotel. I then remembered he had been in ITEX and mentally face palmed. "It's a dead thing that comes back to live—so it's undead. It's typically a person... It's a corpse that comes back and tries to eat other people and turn them into zombies. It's slow and doesn't think much."

He nodded. "Like what ITEX was trying to make."

I exchanged horrified glances with Fang, but neither of us knew what to make of that.

* * *

"First things first, get a hotel room," Fang said as we landed, put our outer coats on, and began walking into the nearest down. I let him go in and get the hotel room, and then I snuck Ten and I in through the back stairwell and upstairs, meeting Fang at the door to our room.

I set Ten down on the bed, and demonstrated how to bounce, and how to use pillows.

"Oh! They're like a mattress for your ears only it isn't bouncy!"

I snorted. "Yeah, kinda like that. Now, this is how you have a pillow fight..."

I left him and Fang having a companionable pillow fight, and went off to get clothes and dinner. I was then stuck with a new dilemma. What did I want my kid's first real meal to be? Would he like the same things as me, or Fang, or would he have his completely own set of taste buds, or not care? He probably wouldn't care, but I did. I quickly decided on corndogs. Not fancy, but safe. Who doesn't love corn dogs?

I grabbed a large box of frozen corn dogs, some soda, and then a frozen pizza as well. "Party with my brothers," I explained to the checkout guy. He nodded in understanding, and I left without incident.

Then I went to Target and grabbed some jeans for Ten, some shirts that Fang would approve of, and also a thick snow jacket with a hood, and a scarf. I grabbed some shoes, shampoo, soap, and then went to check out. Here I got some awkward looks.

"Brothers suck at shopping." This excuse saved me again.

I snagged a chocolate bar at the last minute, paid for it, and headed back to the hotel. When I got up to the room Fang took his time opening up for me. I counted five minutes before he actually opened the door; he was smiling slightly and his hair was mussed.

"Our kid is awesome," he said, and pointed at the blanket fort that had taken up the entire bed/couch area.

I grinned. "The awesomeness so comes from me."

"He got being an awesome _ninja_ from me."

I let him take the bags from me as I looked around. "Where is he?" I asked.

"I just said he was a ninja." Fang laughed. "I lost him for the moment, just wait for the next pillow ambush."

I smiled. "Hey, kiddo, I've got some stuff for you!"

The kid popped up behind Fang, smacking him with a pillow and grinning at me. "What?"

"Here, try this first," I said and handed him the Hershey's chocolate bar.

Fang shook his head and laughed. "Get ready for your first sugar high, little ninja."

As Ten tore the wrapper and sniffed the chocolate, I took out the clothes I'd bought and put them on the foot of one of the beds, spreading them out neatly. I turned to find Ten gnawing on a square of the bar, the most blissful expression I'd ever seen on his face. His eyes wandered over to me, and he tilted his head curiously.

"Which do you like best?" I asked.

He immediately pointed for the shirt that resembled Fang's the most. "That one."

Fang noticed; his face became expressionless like Ten's had been before, and he pursed his lips to hide the smile I knew was just waiting to burst out. "You want to wear it soon?" I asked gleefully. He nodded. "You have to take a shower first, then."

Ten wrinkled his nose. "He says bath day is the worst day of the year."

I glared at him. "For him, maybe. But I bet you'll like yours."

Ten scrunched up his face at me. "Do I have to take one if I use my awesome ninja skills?"

I picked him up and swung him over my shoulder. "My mommy skills cancel out your ninja skills," I said. He squealed.

"Help, Dad! The Maximum Ninja's got me!"

Fang made a show of trying to fight me, but ultimately I won and dumped Ten ever so gently into the tub, locking the door. Fang was laughing as he shouted, "I'll rescue you soon, kiddo! I promise!"

"It'll be too late! I'll melt by the time you save me! I'll be a pirate!"

I shook my head. "Pirates don't take baths."

Ten gasped. "He's a pirate spy!"

"Nah, he's just a ninja who has to go under cover as a pirate." I wondered at how far Fang had gotten in explaining the ninja vs. pirate war…and spies…and baths…

I allowed Ten to climb out of the tub and sit down on the closed toilet seat as I filled up the bath with warm water. "Bubbles, bubbles, do we have bubbles?"

"We don't have bubbles," Ten said solemnly. "Dad and I already checked."

I nodded. "Bath toys?"

"A rubber duck. Dad laughed and said something about Ernie." Ten watched me. "Who's Ernie?"

"I'll show you later," I said. "For now, I want you to tell me if this is a good temperature." I guided his knobby hand into the bathwater, and was astonished at the amount of dirt that flooded away from his fingers. He didn't seem to notice.

"It's good!"

"Then I suggest you get in—take off your clothes first, those don't get to take a bath with you."

I had to help him peel his shirt off of him, and I stared at him as he continued from there. He was covered in scars and bruises, old and yellowing with age but still horrible and large. I could see his ribs, and every bone in his spine. His wings themselves were raggedy looking, losing feathers, and limp. They shivered as he moved, but it didn't seem like he was able to actually control them because they were so weak.

His hips jutted out from his waist so sharply that it was like he had been made out of triangles, all point and no hint of roundness anywhere. Not even his face, even when he smiled. He settled in the bath and immediately sank down completely, blowing bubbles in the water cheerily and completely oblivious to my gawking.

He pointed at the shampoo in my hand. "What's that for?"

"Sit back, and don't move your head or else it might accidentally hurt your eyes," I explained as I poured some into my hand. "It'll get your hair clean and soft."

He nodded, and kicked his feet out, splashing me. I made a face at him that he didn't notice and continued. He was grinning. "Dad's silly. Baths are fun."

"I'm glad you think so."

"They are!" he insisted. He waited for a while, then started playing with the rubber duck before pausing again. "I'm gonna name the duck Ernie."

"Speaking of names," I began, "any ideas what you want to be called? Ten's not a real name, out here."

He looked at me. "Dad said you wanted to name me George."

"It all depends on what you want," I said. "What I want has nothing to do with it."

"Yes it does!" He splashed. "I wanna be named what you wanna call me. Isn't that what parents do?"

I took the shower head and began rinsing out his hair. Bits of scabs and dirt came out. Gross. "Well yeah, but I wanted to give you the choice. If you want to be called what I want, that's okay too."

"Good. Because George Weasley's funny."

"Did Dad read you some of Harry Potter?" He nodded, grinning. "So, Mr. Curious Ninja, you want me to really call you George?"

"Is that really what you want to name me?"

"Maybe."

"Then _maybe_."

I smiled and stroked his head, and he smiled back at me with dancing red eyes. This kid was _so_ mine. "You can be George, and your brother can be Fred," I mused as I began scrubbing him down. I found it strangely easy to avoid the bruises and wash them gently. "Or at least those can be your nicknames. There's also Sirius and Regulus…"

"Okay..."

I shook my head. "Let's talk about it with Dad some more and look on the internet. How's that sound?"

"Good!"

I splashed him. "Do you think you're clean yet?"

He held up his prune-y little fingers. "Dad says that when your fingers look like raisins then you're clean."

"This would be one of the few times your father is right then. Drain the tub and we'll dry you off." I got up and reached for the towel I had left by the sink.

He pulled the drain up and then stood dripping in the middle of the tub as the water fell away from his legs. I wrapped the towel around his torso and lifted him up out of the tub, placing him on the bathmat, and began to dry him off. I left his wings still a bit damp, and helped him get dressed. I'd already ripped holes in his T-shirt, but it was awkward to get his wings through them without him being able to move them on his own. They felt flimsy and stiff, and shook if I stretched them.

He didn't seem to feel my touch on his wings, actually, and I felt mildly alarmed. Finally, though, I got them out and tightened his belt around his skinny waist. I considered blow drying his hair but decided not to, unlocking the door and pushing him out.

I heard Fang whistle. "Look at you, little man. I bet all the little girls in the lobby will notice the room lighting up."

Ten was absolutely clueless as to what it actually meant, but he took the praise happily, his face splitting with a grin. I led him over to the bed and pushed him down. "On your stomach, buddy. Fang, could you go put those corn dogs in the microwave?"

Ten wriggled around on the bed. "Why am I on my belly, Mom?"

"I've got to dry off your wings," I said, "'cause your wings have lost the waterproof coat. You've got to get some health back in you, but until then we have to keep your wings clean and dry."

"Oh, okay." He waited patiently as I rubbed his wings. He stretched out for me and watched Fang. "Hey Dad, what do you want to name me?"

He shrugged. "Whatever you want."

"But—" Ten pouted. "You guys are no fun."

Fang shrugged. "Sorry kid, I try."

"He likes Harry Potter." I looked at Fang. "And he liked the idea of being called George, but he looks like a Regulus or a Sirius doesn't he?" Ten's spine went completely limp as I began to stroke his feathers, coaxing the water out of them.

"Regulus or Sirius?" Fang asked Ten.

"George isn't serious," Ten replied blankly.

"So Regulus or Sirius?"

"Who's younger?"

"Regulus."

"So my brother can be Sirius?"

"If he wants."

"What about if he doesn't?"

"Then we'll work from there. What do you think?"

Ten nodded. "Cool."

"Mhm." I patted his wings. "So Ten, do you want me to call you George, Regulus, or keep calling you Ten?"

Ten looked at us carefully, then buried his face in the mattress, shrugging. His wings twitched and pulled closer to him. "I dunno."

I got up to put the towel away since Ten was mostly dry. "It's fine, kiddo," and, changing the subject, "I hope you like corn dogs."

He sat up and accepted the plate. There was some ketchup squirted on the corner of the plate, and Ten stared at it without moving. "How do you eat it?" he asked.

I pointed at Fang. "Watch the ninja—just don't take his cue when it comes to rats."

"Rats?" Ten repeated, appearing panicked. "I hate rats! Rats bite!"

"Not if you bite them first." Fang took a big bite of his corndog. "And these aren't rats anyway, or dogs. Just try it. It's good, I promise."

Ten lifted the dog by the stick, his little hand shaking with the effort. It took him a moment, staring at the ketchup-dipped end, before he lifted it to his lips and took a huge bite. His eyes grew wide, and he used both hands to steady the corndog as he took another big bite and talked with his mouth full. "This is GOOD!"

I grinned. "Glad you like it."

He ate three corn dogs before he finally wiped his mouth and grinned at us. "Done."

Fang handed him a napkin and took his plate from him. "Clean your face or your bath will be for nothing."

I stroked his hair as he finished cleaning his mouth. "So, do you want to meet your cousins?"

Ten nodded. "Yes! Where are they?"

Fang had set up his laptop on the desk and plugged it in a few minutes ago; now he had logged on to Yahoo and opened up a video chat with Nudge.

"Fang! How are you? How did it go? Is he with you? Is Max there? Where is everyone?"

"I'm good, it went well, Max is here, Trinity and Angel will be back later, and he's right over here. But you've got to calm down before I let you see him," Fang said.

"Alright, alright, I'll calm down—does he look like you?"

Ten came over. "Dad, is this my cousin?"

"No, that's your aunt, Nudge." Fang hefted Ten onto his lap and pointed at the screen. "Say hi, kiddo."

Ten waved. "Hi."

Nudge squealed and waved back. "Hi, kid! I'm Nudge! You look _just_ like your dad. And your mom, too!"

"Nudge, you wanna go get the others?" I asked.

"Sure! Hold on!" As Nudge dashed off out of view Ten turned to me.

"Do I have a big family?"

Fang laughed and resituated the laptop, motioning for me to come over into view for when the others came back. "Kid, you don't know the half of it. They all can't wait to meet you either."

Ten fidgeted and I ruffled his hair. "It's fine, they're lovable, and they'll love you."

"Hey guys," Ana said as she came into view. Annie and Nicky were on her lap. They waved at us excitedly.

"Those are your cousins," I told Ten.

He stared at them, and they stared at him. He looked up at Fang. "They're Uncle Trinity's kids?" Fang nodded. Ten turned back to the screen. "Nicky and Annie?"

The kids blinked at him as they recognized their names. "Mommy, who's that?"

Ana smiled. "That's your cousin. He's Uncle Fang's and Auntie Max's kid. He's..." She paused in her explaining to ask us, "What's his name?"

"Don't have one yet," Ten said. "They want George, or Regulus. But it depends what my brother wants. If he wants Fred, then I'm George. If he wants Sirius, I'm Regulus. But if he wants something else, I'm something else."

Ana nodded. "That makes sense. I can understand that. I never chose a name myself, your father named me."

Ten looked up at Fang incredulously. "Really?" Fang nodded. Ten looked back at Ana. "What did he name you?"

"Santana, but everyone calls me Ana."

"Santana," Ten murmured. "Cool."

Ana nodded. "Mhm. Regulus and George are cool too, but any other names you come up with will be awesome."

Ten blushed. He changed the topic. "Um… Do you like corn dogs?"

I knew for a fact that Ana didn't really care for them, but she took the incentive and nodded. "Do you?"

He nodded vigorously. "I ate three of 'em! Does Dad really eat rats?"

Ana guffawed.

"Do he, Mommy?" Annie asked.

"Uncle eat rats? Ew!" said Nicky.

Fang grinned. "Of course I do! It's a delicacy! Trin ate them too, remember?"

Nicky, Annie, and Ten all said, "EW! Groooooss!"

Ten got away from Fang and hugged me. "You're my favorite now!" We laughed. Ten leaned against me and wrinkled his nose. "When's Angel and Uncle Trin gonna get here? I want to play ninja fort again."

"Where _are_ Trin and Angel?" Ana asked.

I glanced at Fang, and he began typing out his answer instead of saying it. It pinged onto Ana's window and her expression cleared. "Okay."

"Whas's say?" Annie whined.

"Dad's out helping some old lady crossing the street," Ana lied smoothly.

Nicky beamed. "Our Daddy a supah hero!"

"My mom's too!" Ten exclaimed.

"Ya, that's why we a supah hero family!" Annie explained. "They a supah hero team! With ninjas!" Ana buried her face in Nicky's hair to hide her laughter.

Ten nodded. "Yeah! Dad says I'm an awesome little ninja!" I looked at Fang, whose eyes were shining with tears of suppressed mirth. He smirked at me. Ten grabbed my hand. "Mom gave me a bath too! And got me a shirt just like Dad's, and corndogs, and pillows!"

Ana smiled at me, and then at her kids. "Hey, it's your bedtime, tweebs," she said to the twins. "Go get ready for bed and I'll be right there. Alright?"

"Aw man!"

Annie waved. "Night-night Uncle Fang! Nght-night Auntie Max! Night-night Cousin!"

Nicky gave us a smile and then the two were placed on the floor and I could see Kate come by to lead them down the hall. Kate gave us a smile before leaving. Ten frowned. "Why're the going?"

"They have to get some sleep," I said. "They'll talk to you again soon though, don't worry."

He pouted. "Okay."

Ana smiled at us. "Angelus is coming in a moment," she said. "That's your grandpa, kiddo."

Ten perked up. "Is he your dad? Is he nice?"

"It's Fang's dad," I said. "He's really cool."

"He's Dad and Uncle Trinity's dad? Is he as awesome as Dad?"

"Yeah," I said. "Just as cool."

He bounced, watching the computer screen eagerly. "Is he a ninja too?"

"Did I hear someone talking about me?" Angelus came over and sat down beside Ana. He leveled his gaze on us, and on Ten, and grinned.

Ten went quiet, and his grip on me tightened again. His lips twitched. "Do you like corn dogs?"

Angelus nodded. "More than anything," he said.

Ten nodded. "Do you like ninja forts and pillows?"

"My middle name is ninja," Angelus said proudly. "I am the king of pillow fights."

Ten beamed. "I think I'm gonna like you."

"That's good, because I think I'm going to like you too." Ten smiled happily, looking at Fang and me and back to the computer. "I have a family now."

Ana, Angelus, and I smiled. Fang's smirk widened ever so slightly. "Yeah, buddy," he said. "You've got a flock."

He looked at Fang. "And my brother will too."

* * *

We continued talking for a while longer, and then Ten was rubbing his eyes and yawning. I gave him to Fang to put to bed, and he was off like a light.

I sat down in front of the laptop. "Hey," I said to Angelus and Ana.

Ana smiled softly at me. "He's a cutie."

I felt my heart swell. "Yeah," I said. "He is."

She nodded. "When are you going after his brother?"

"As soon as Trinity and Angel get back, hopefully. But we don't have any leads yet. The scientist we picked up didn't know, and so far both the Voice and Jeb have been silent."

"We haven't heard anything either. Do you think the Voice will tell you when you're ready to go?"

"Maybe." I shrugged. "Anything new from Sable's end?"

"She's fine, the raid went well, she's fine," Ana ticked off.

"That's good…"

"Yup…"

"So…"

"Yeah..."

We looked at Angelus at the same time. He held his hands up. "Girl talk?" We nodded. "Alright, I'm leaving."

As soon as he was gone I laughed again. "What's up, Ana?"

"I have a feeling you want to talk."

I dropped my gaze. "That feeling might possibly be right."

"I'm listening."

I took a deep breath. "It's going a lot smoother than I thought it would, and that's freaking me out. It's so normal... He's not scared of us, and I don't feel like freaking out about having a kid and the not freaking out is what's freaking me out."

She nodded. "I'm really surprised," she said. "At your reaction—and his. He talks _so much _compared to say, Fang."

"I know." I shook my head. "I don't know what to make of it."

"Take it as a good thing," she said. "If his personality's survived the torture of ITEX and neglect of a holding unit, then it's a miracle and you should treat it that way."

"I know. What's strange though is that I keep expecting him to shut down and for me to freak out...but that's not happening. I feel like it's the most normal thing in the world."

"Maybe it is," she said. "You've had so much practice with mothering Angel and Nudge and Gazzy, maybe this _is_ natural for you."

"Maybe." I relaxed. "That would make sense, wouldn't it?"

She nodded. "But enough of that," she said. "How does it feel to be a real mother?"

I melted and had the silliest smile on my face. "Good. Right. He's amazing."

"He's so cute the way he talks about you and Fang," she sighed. "And when he mentioned his brother? So, so adorable."

I nodded. "I love it. I love him. I can't wait to find his brother."

"But really… Regulus? _George?" _I smiled sheepishly. "You're really going to call him that?"

"If it turns out that way, then yes. What's wrong with it?"

"It's so geeky! And so…weird. I mean George is okay. But you think you want your kid growing up being called Reggie? Or teased?"

"It's not like we've got much to worry about. Regulus is a cool name, and it's not like any of the flock is going to tease him. Who else besides us and more Family members is he ever really going to know?"

"Max. _School._ Once this is over, they'll be able to live freely, without worry. That's what we're fighting for. Even the Hell of school is something we want them to be able to experience without fear."

I smiled. "I hadn't thought of that. I like the sound of it... However, Regulus George is still a fine name."

"I'd advise against it. Maybe you could keep it as his nickname, but not his real name. Or put it as his official name but never call him it. Something like that."

"I like Regulus better than George, but I think he likes that one more. And his parents are Fang and Maximum Ride, I think it's okay for him to have a slightly strange name, Miss Santana."

"Well yeah but you guys have more normal sounding names than _Regulus,_ and George is so…old fashioned. Ana's simple, Trinity is unusual but still normal sounding, and Fang sounds like he earned his nickname—and by the way, what's the story behind that?—and Max is again, normal sounding. George is so…"

I shrugged. "I don't really know the story about that, it's something the boys came up with, we'd have to ask them. And I like Regulus! But I'm open to suggestions I suppose. What would you come up with?"

Ana paused, typing something. My window pinged with a link to a website. "Behind the Name?" I asked.

"It's got a lot of cool names," she said. "It's a good site."

"Where do you think I should start?"

"Look at George and then click related names."

I laughed. "There's a Giorgino."

She snorted. "Surprisingly that seems not as bad as George."

I made a face. "My kid shall not be called Giorgino." I clicked out of that and began looking through names by their origin, starting with Greece. "Charlampos?" I couldn't help but giggle.

"Charlie!" Ana perked up. "That's a cute name!"

"Another Weasley," I mused.

"Well, you can have Ten be Charlie and Eleven be Fred? Or William?"

I snickered. "Maybe." I opened a text document, made two columns, and wrote Charlie in one and William in another. "Alright. Who else is there?"

"Peter, like from Narnia. And Edmund."

"Sabes would love it if we named him Edmund—or Edward, like Fullmetal. Those are kind of old fashioned though."

"Old fashioned is good," Ana said. "Nicholas and Anna are old, as is Kate…"

"But they've come back, Edmund hasn't really and neither has Peter—and everyone will think Edward from Twilight."

"Start a new trend," Ana said. "They're good names."

"Peter…maybe, but for the rest I'd rather just stick with George. I don't particularly like Edmund and I don't think he or Fang would like Edward."

"Okay, no Edward, no Edmund. Peter… I still like Charlie. What about James? Jason? John?"

"If I named him those I'd feel like I was naming him after evil vampires or Omega. Maybe Jonathan."

"Erik? Sam? Elijah? Timothy? Todd? Steven?"

"Maybe Ana, maybe. I don't know."

She smiled. "Alright."

I looked back at where Fang had disappeared with Ten and then back at Ana."It's getting late. I'll leave a note to tell Trin to get on when he gets back, even though he probably won't need it. He misses you so much."

Her smile faded. "Take care of him, would you?" she asked softly.

I smiled at her. "Of course, Ana. What are future sister-in-laws for?"

She said goodbye and signed off.

* * *

Fang sat down beside me on the couch, where a Christmas special was playing softly. Ten was asleep on the bed, curled up and snug. Fang put an arm around my shoulders. "How are you?" he asked.

I cuddled up to him. "I just met me epic kid. How do you think I am?"

He pressed his lips to my hair. "Has the 'kaboom' come?"

I remembered earlier today, and nodded slowly. I curled my legs up to my chin and allowed Fang to pull me onto his lap. "Not as heavily as I thought," I admitted. "But just a bit."

He kissed my hair. "Me too."

I nodded and pressed my face into his shoulder, looking over the back of the couch at the lump on the bed that was my son. "Charlie?" I mumbled. "Peter? George?"

"I like Charlie," he admitted. "And Peter. And George."

I groaned. "This is hard... I really, really like Regulus, but Ana says he'll get teased, and I can see her point. But can you think of how cool it'd be to have our kids named Sirius and Regulus?"

"We can still call them that," he said. "I mean—they'd be _uber cool_ nicknames."

I snorted. "What? Give them Flock names and real names?"

"Why not?" he asked.

He had a point.

Fang stroked my hair silently for a moment, then said, "Let's stop thinking about names for now until we find his brother."

I nestled into his side. "That would make things much simpler."

He nodded lay down, spreading me out across him and turning off the TV. "Something's bothering _me_ though," he said. "He's so happy… He's so…carefree. You were never like that. We were never like that, except Gazzy and Iggy maybe. And from what we saw—he went through so much more than we ever did."

I shook my head. "I'm not even going to try to comprehend any of it. I'm just going to accept it as the miracle it is...and if something darker wants to try to take over my miracle, I'll kick its butt." His grip around my waist tightened wordlessly. I rested my chin on his shoulder. "Of course, skipping out on names at the moment saves you from coming up with anything, doesn't it?"

He chuckled and I could see his teeth flash in the darkness by my cheek. "I think it's bedtime," he said, not answering me. "Go to bed. I get the couch _all_ to myself."

"Meanie." I stuck my tongue out at him but got up anyway.

* * *

I woke to the noise of someone knocking on the door, and of my cell phone vibrating on the nightstand. I picked it up. "Who's this?" I mumbled.

"Me 'n Angel are at the door," Trinity's voice said. "Open up, we've been knocking for the past ten minutes, you sleepyheads."

"Sorry." I yawned. "Be right there." I set the phone back on the stand and made a face when my feet hit the cold floor. Gosh, I was getting spoiled. I knocked back on the door once. "What's the password?"

"Open the damn door, Max." Trinity's muffled voice was louder than it had been on the phone, but it revealed how tired he must be. I opened up to find him carrying Angel piggy-back. He stumbled inside and dumped her on the bed before sprawling out on his stomach on the floor. "Had to fly all the way from Arizona," he said in explanation. "Got caught in a storm on the way back."

"What the heck were you doing in Arizona? Don't tell me you had to take Daniels that far!" I pulled a pillow and blanket off the bed and tossed them to Trinity.

"We had to meet up with his freakin' mom," he grumbled. "She's a little ol' lady down in the north of AZ, had the sweetest smile for us when we dropped him off. But still, God, man I'm tired."

I shook my head. "I don't blame you. Catch some Z's, you can talk to Ana and get to know your nephew later."

He gave me a tired wave and crashed.

Fang was up in the same instant, rubbing his eyes. "Trin's back?" he asked, and peered over the edge of the sofa.

"Yes, but he's exhausted. He had to take that scientist all the way to Arizona and got caught in a storm on the way back. You can talk to him when he's up."

He gave an uncharacteristic snort. "There's no talking to him when he wakes up," he said. "The mood he'll be in when he feels that headache…"

"What headache?" I yawned and sat by him, pressing my cold toes up against him.

He gave me a dark look before shaking his head and tapping his forehead. "He's got a serious migraine coming on."

"Oh." I took this as a cue to put my fingers on him. "Well…are you going back to sleep or are you up now?"

He grabbed my fingers and pressed them to his neck, where it was warm. "I'm up."

I grinned. "Do you want to snuggle, or set about making breakfast?"

I could tell his answer would be the first option, but then Ten appeared, his hair a mess but his eyes bright. "I'm hungry! Are there more corndogs?"

I laughed and Fang stood, heading to the kitchen. "Come on little ninja, let me show you how to microwave them."

"Okay big ninja! Is there more ketchup too?"

I smiled, turning on the TV for the news. Who else did I see but Alex Sinclair? I sighed and shook my head. What sort of trouble had he gotten into _this time?_

He was laughing at something a reporter had said. "Ma'am! I thought you were supposed to be asking me what it was like to be adopted by a Senator, not quizzing me about my love life!"

Of course.

"Alright, you caught me!" The reporter laughed and held up her hands. "Guilty as charged. But do tell us!"

"About my love life or my father?"

"First question for four hundred! Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Ma'am, you'll never know. Next question."

"Is she younger than you?"

"What's this?" Alex cried. "I never said yes!"

"Your father hinted otherwise earlier! Would you cave for Starburst? Tell us, Alex! Curious mind want to know."

Alex stared at the offered jar of candies. "My father, huh? Traitor." The reporter jiggled the jar ever so slightly, and Alex's face crumbled. "Fine. She's my age."

The reporter held them out of his reach. "Does she have a name?"

Alex zipped his lips. "Not until I get my Starburst, ma'am."

She allowed him to take one, but he snatched the jar and set it behind him. "Krystal. Tiffany. Jessica Miranda Alicia Tangerine Butterfly," he snarked.

"Alex!" The reporter laughed. "There's not going to be getting anything else out of you is there?"

"I never promised answers. This interview was supposed to be about my adoption."

"Touché." The reporter tucked her hair behind her ear. "I guess it's time we got back on track. May I ask what your life was like before being adopted by the senator?"

You could see a change in Alex almost instantly. His voice never wavered, however. "It was pretty bad. It wasn't pretty."

"Drugs? Juvie?"

"Not as bad as that, no. But I was on the streets, picking a living from donations and good Samaritans."

"How'd you wind up there?"

"I don't know," he said without any trace of bitterness. "I grew up there."

The reporter nodded. "And how'd you get from that to being the son of a senator? How did you cross paths?"

"It's complicated," he began, threading his fingers together around his knee. "He saw me on a street corner once and gave me a hefty sum to get off the streets. I used it to get me some new clothes and a hotel room. From there, I tried to get a job. It didn't work out. I was too young. They wouldn't let me do anything… And someone turned me in to the feds."

"How'd you take it?"

"I didn't. I didn't care, I just went with the flow of events. I got put into foster care and got shifted around a few times—and then I saw Senator Sinclair again. I was at a youth group meeting and we went to his office…by the way, he wasn't senator yet. He was just some minor political figure back then. But anyway, we went to his office on a field trip. He recognized me and took me aside and asked about how I was and I told him."

"And a few days later you were whisked away?"

He shrugged. "If a few days means two months, then yeah. It took two months for him to be approved, and for the feds to work it all out. I didn't even know he was interested in me at that point. But suddenly I was being shipped off."

"What did you make of that, being 'shipped off'?"

"Well, Dad and I got along swimmingly. Let's just say that we came to an agreement, and the rest is history."

"Wonderful." The reporter grinned. "It's nice to hear how you and the senator came to be a family, and to know it worked out swimmingly for both of you. Now, how about this girl...?"

Alex retained a blank look and didn't answer.

The reporter pouted. "Please?"

Alex shook his head. "Sorry, I can't tell. Can you go to commercial or something?"

"But it's nearly Christmas!" the reporter cried.

"Which is why you should be feeling the spirit of giving," Alex said. "But if you cut to a commercial after this, I'll tell you one thing." The woman nodded eagerly, and Alex grinned. "She's an angel," he said. "Almost literally."

And before the reporter could say anything else, they cut to a commercial. I rolled my eyes and turned off the TV. He was such a character.

"Roar!" Ten was eating dinosaur chicken nuggets. I had no idea where they had come from, but he was eating them by biting their heads off, roaring.

I looked at Fang who just shrugged. "Don't look at me. Ten came up with the roaring noises by himself. I just provided the chicken nuggets

"Ten, sweetie, could you be just a little quieter? Trinity and Angel are trying to—"

Ten, who had been nodding obediently with a T-Rex's tail sticking out of his mouth, suddenly went rigid and pale. Behind me, I heard Angel sit up and gasp.

"NO!" she and Ten said in the exact same breath. "Eleven!"

I whirled around to face her. "What happened?"

She took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds, as if trying to regain the ability to breathe steadily. Finally she said, "He's hurt. Not too far away, but north. Somewhere cold, and dark—and he's hurt. He's going through some kind of tests."

"Do you think we can find him?"

Angel shrugged desperately. "But I don't know how long we have," she said, pained.

Ten covered his face. "No, no, no!" He hid his face in Fang's chest and grabbed his hair over his ears. "No…"

I looked at Angel, and then at Fang, wondering what we could do. We had no idea where we should look next. 'North' was so vague. And without a deadline, we might be searching for years if only to find we were too late…

_Six months, Max,_ the Voice said. _You have six months before he's terminated._

_What a time frame! Jeez, thanks a lot! _I snapped at the Voice than stepped over to Ten and Fang and petted Ten's hair. "The Voice says we have six months. We will find him before then." I looked at Fang. "We can rest a little while more and then head north_?" _

Fang nodded. "Just a little," he agreed, and then looked back down at the shivering Ten.

"Finish eating your dinosaurs," I told him. "It'll be alright, and you need to eat."

He looked at me with those scarlet irises of his and for a moment, I thought he might begin to cry. But he swallowed his tears and picked up another dino with a trembling hand. I sighed and looked back at Angel. "Ange, how about you take a shower and then you and I go out for a bit?" I asked. "Just to get some cool down time." And leave Daddy to take care of poor Ten...

She nodded.

As she left for her shower I sank down by Trinity to wait, and I watched Fang lean over to whisper something to Ten, both dark heads together. I sighed again.

Soon Angel came out with dripping hair and her jacket, and I grabbed mine. "We'll be back soon," I promised Fang and Ten, and then Angel and I went downstairs to the lobby where we snagged quick breakfasts of our own.

"What do you want to talk about?" she asked.

"Anything. Everything." I closed my eyes and tilted my head back. I smiled thinly when I looked back at her. "I don't have a clue what to talk about."

"Well, neither do I." She gave me a weird look.

I shrugged. "Then we're in the same boat... How long do you think we should give them?

She shrugged. "Maybe we should have taken Catlyn's lead and brought duct tape to entertain ourselves or something." We laughed.

I stretched. "Hey Ange…"

"Yeah?"

"Awkward turtle."

She rolled her eyes. "I should have heard that coming."

"Yup." I smiled.

My pocket began to vibrate and I pulled out my phone. "Trin's awake," I said, and held the phone up to my ear. "Yo?"

"_Hey, Max. You girls ready to take off yet?"_

"Ready when you are."

"_Meet us on the roof."_

"We're on our way!"

We ran up the stairs until we reached the top floor, then climbed out a window and up the fire escape onto the roof. Ten, Trinity, and Fang were there with all of our clothes and belongings in the backpacks. Trinity looked a bit pale, and I didn't envy him of the headache he was apparently having; Ten and Fang were bundled up snugly.

I hoisted Ten up into my arms, and smiled at them. "Ready?"

"Hold on." Angel held her hand up and closed her eyes. Two minutes later and she nodded. "Sorry, had to check us out," she explained. "Ready."

I nodded. "Let's go."

And so we set off. It was seemed anticlimactic at the time, but we soon learned that it would be the last semi-peaceful moment of the year.

* * *

_**A/N:** Please review!_

_And, help us figure out what Ten and Eleven should be named! George/Fred and Regulus/Sirius were--mostly--jokes stemming from reading AverageWizard too much._

_Thanks for reading!  
_


	47. Chapter 44: Crashes, Colds, and Kids

_**A/N:** I think D and I are both in agreement that we're a bit rusty and in a dry spell Wing It wise (and in general, as it's also screwing up our other stories). Apologies if it seems like we're scrambling for plot ideas and filler chapters. However, we have some serious ideas that we're thinking of using. We're just wondering if you've figured them out already. Could you let us know what _**you**_ think we've been foreshadowing? From what some of our friends have told us, we know that some things are pretty obvious and others are deviously not so. It'd be fun if you shared what you think's coming up!_

_And I think we forgot to mention, Merry Christmas! _

_

* * *

_

We'd stopped again, this time in some wooded area."I think we should name you Squirrel." I looked back to see Trin laughing with Ten. "Max, look at your kid climb!"

"I see, Trin." I had one of his packs and was going through it. I nodded at Angel. "Hey Ange, what do you want to eat?"

She looked at me mournfully. "What do we have?" she asked.

I turned back to the pack and pulled out a package of gummy bears, a large box of Goldfish, ten packets of instant hot chocolate mix (just add hot water), and some popcorn. Nothing really sustaining.

Angel grabbed the Goldfish and took a handful. Fang swept by us and the gummy bears disappeared.

"Hey!"

He smirked at us and popped one in his mouth and tossed the rest to Trin and Ten. "I'll fly off and get us some more. We need more food anyway since you're all against rats."

And, since it was our custom to go out in groups, I volunteered and followed him. He smiled and tried to race me: I won, of course. We laughed, and made our way into the gas station. He plucked a bag of gummy bags off the shelf beside me.

"Think we should get something hot?" I asked.

He nodded, and jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "Soup," he said, and departed down another aisle, probably following the scents of tomato and basil, and onion soups were wafting. As I followed him I grabbed other essentials like Cheetos and beef jerky. Ooh, and every Jumbo Spicy Slim Jims that was on the shelf as well.

"Camping," I explained to the cashier, who was walking past.

"In this weather?"

I grinned. "Best time."

"People these days..." The cashier shook his head as he walked away.

Fang rolled his eyes as he ladled the steaming soups into large containers. It smelled so good… My stomach growled. "We probably need more Goldfish," I thought to myself and snagged another bag off the shelf. "And chocolate, for the kids… And a bunch of chips for the road…"

It might seem like too much to cart around, but let me tell you; most of it would be eaten by tomorrow morning.

Fang held a package of chocolate chip cookies in front of my nose. "Would you like these, Max?"

I blushed and snatched at them, but he held them out of my reach. "What do you want?" I demanded.

He smirked at me. "I need to talk to you."

"Sure?" I said hesitantly. "Not in here, though?"

"And I thought Angel was the mind reader." He tapped my nose and let me have the cookies, but took the rest of the groceries from me. "I feel weird having you carry everything."

I raised my eyebrows. "Since when do you act the gentleman?"

"Since I had Trin for a brother and Angelus for a dad."

I grinned. "Glad to see they've had a positive effect on you."

He shrugged. "And on everybody else. Have you noticed the lack of stinkage and bombs?"

"…Good point!" We exchanged amused glances.

We paid for everything and made our way out. I looked expectantly at Fang. "Are you going to tell me what you want to talk about now?"

He nodded as we walked down the street, looking for the secluded place we'd landed in. "It's about Ten," he said. "He still can't move his wings or fly."

I frowned. "I figured it's because he's so thin...He' nothing but skin and bones."

"You used to be that thin," he said. "We all did, when we first left. But we could still fly."

I shook my head. "I don't know. I really don't, and that bothers me. It seems like he's so different from how we were, but... I don't know. What do you want to do about it? Do you think we should start have him trying to use those muscles in his wings first?"

"Probably." He twitched uneasily. "Do you remember how Jeb taught you to fly?"

I shook my head. "I was as ambitious as Anna Marie. I figured it out on my own. Like riding a bike, only falling hurt a lot more, and without the training wheels."

Fang seemed surprised. "Jeb pushed me off of progressively higher things—first a stool, to learn to open my wings and glide, then a desk to try and flap, and then a bookshelf…and then a roof."

I grimaced. "I don't like the idea of pushing the kid off anything. Maybe we should ask Trin or something. He and Ana were teaching the twins, but then again they'd be about as clueless as us wouldn't they?"

"Nicky started to fly by jumping off the bed," Fang pointed out.

"On his own time. Ten hasn't shown any interest in flying yet, unless you're holding out on me."

He shook his head slowly. "I'm not," he said flatly. "I'm just worried… If he doesn't learn how to fly soon, he could get in some serious trouble. He needs to be able to fly away if we're too _occupied_ to carry him."

"I know." I snagged a cookie and offered him one. "It's a lot to think about, but we should start teaching him as soon as possible. With our luck, he'll try to jump out of a tree before we get back."

Of course, I didn't think to knock on wood…

When we got back, Angel was bouncing up and down and Trinity was grinning behind his scarf. "He glided!" Angel screamed giddily. "He flew!"

"Did you really, little ninja?" Fang picked him up and I handed him a cookie.

Ten nodded as he began nibbling on the treat. "Mhm," he said, his mouth covered in crumbs. "Tha's what Angel says."

I grinned and looked at Ange. "Did he jump out of a tree?"

She nodded. "How'd you know?" I replayed Fang's conversation with me in my head, and her face cleared. She laughed.

I ruffled Ten's hair. "It looks like me and your Dad didn't have much to worry about. Do you want to practice more after everybody eats?"

He shrugged. "Sure. Whatever."

"Good. Now save some cookies for me!" As he stuffed his face, I began to hatch evil plots to get him to fly… I inched closer to Fang. "Do you want to exchange evil schemes? So far I've gotten bribing him with gummy bears."

He gave me a blank look, then grabbed Ten by the scruff of the neck and dragged him up to the lowest branch of the tree—it was about six feet up. He set Ten down on the branch. "Okay, if you can do this, you get gummy bears," Fang said.

Ten looked at Fang like he was nuts. "I did this for Uncle Trinity and he didn't give me gummy bears."

I held up the bag of gummy bears. "We're not Uncle Trin," I said.

Ten shrugged. "What do I do?"

"Move your wings like this." Fang demonstrated.

He watched Fang and copied his movements once before gathering himself up and jumping. Fang tried to grab him, but missed. I succeeded in catching Ten, who was sinking like a rock and not really flying or gliding. I grinned at the startled kid in my arms. "Don't worry. You'll get the hang of it."

Fang glowered down at us. "Kid, keep _practicing_ and don't _jump_ until I tell you," he called. "Just trust me on that."

"Okay, Dad." Ten nodded and I let him down so he could scramble back to Fang to try again.

They practiced for a bit longer, while Trinity, Angel and I sat around eating and watching. Finally, Fang gave Ten the okay and Ten bunched his small muscles; then he sprang into the air and executed a perfect swan dive before doing a face-plant into the snow.

"Are you alright?" I gasped, running over to him.

He sat up and shook his head, sending snow flying. He grinned at me toothily. "That's FUN!"

I shook my head. "I think you need to practice some more. Your face isn't a landing cushion."

We laughed. I went back to my place between Trin and Angel while Ten and Fang went about practicing. "Please don't let him run into a tree..."

"Maybe you guys really should name him George," Trin remarked and began humming the George of the Jungle theme song.

I smacked him. "We'll call you George."

Just then, Ten came hurtling down, wings spread out, and actually landed on his feet. He punched the air excitedly—and fell over. But he'd done it! "Yes!"

"Way to go!" I came over to him and handed him some gummy bears. "Do it again and you get more." He shimmied back up the tree. I sat back by Angel and Trin. I got some of the cookies out and offered them.

However, it seemed that all Ten would be able to master tonight was gliding. It was fine—it would help build up the muscles in his wings and back and soon he'd be able to flap and keep himself up. He chose to cuddle up to Fang when we went to sleep that night. Why he would do that when said daddy hadn't showered in three days…

Wait—at one point _I_ had been fine with being around a dirty, smelly, sweaty Fang who hadn't showered in months. What the heck had happened to me? I was turning into a wuss! A marshmallow! I heard Angel laughing.

Curses.

* * *

**Fang**

We continued flying for the next two weeks, with Ten practicing his flying skills in the evening and morning, before we set off and after we'd settled down for the night. Eventually, though, I was beginning to feel a bit hopeless. It was getting colder, and dryer, and less populated. The colder it got the more we wanted to find shelter. The more we wanted it, the fewer hotels we could find.

Trinity caught a cold or flu or something, and he was utterly miserable. I was feeling it catching on with me, too, but I was confident that I could fight it off until we were in a safe place for me to conk out.

We found that place the day before Christmas.

December 24th found us sitting in the very back of a small Catholic church in The Middle of Nowhere, Colorado. We'd taken to finding refuge in the backs of churches, where it was warm and dark and a safe place to sleep and rest. Outside, there was a blizzard. Not really, but it was enough that we were forced out of the air for the night.

The pew we were squished in was literally at the very back, and dark, and very cozy. It was probably the warmest part of the church; I was doubly warm, because I had Max half sitting on me, and Angel was curled up on my lap. Her curls were pillowing her head against my shoulder, and her coat was draped across her shoulders and legs. If the rest of the building hadn't been so freakin' cold, this would have been stiflingly hot.

Ten was sitting on my feet, and his jacket was tucked tight around him; my own jacket was tucked around him like a blanket. His scarf was pulled up around his small face, but his eyes were free and he was sleepily watching the candles up on the altar.

Trinity had his head leaning against the wall of the alcove the pew was in, and he looked like he was going to fall asleep himself. The poor guy's face was gaunt and the circles under his eyes were darker than they'd ever been. He was bundled up more than all of us with two jackets, a scarf, and a furry Santa hat. Every now and then he'd give a wet cough, or his face would screw up and he'd attempt to suck in air through his nose—which was blocked up with runny snot.

Ick.

Angel made a face against my neck. "Your thoughts are icky. Stop." She yawned and went back to sleep.

Max looked up at me with a petrifying glare. I shook my head. "Runny noses."

She nodded. "Okay, that's better."

I smiled and pressed my cheek into her hair when she settled back on my shoulder. The church service was almost over, and I was rather dreading the end. It'd mean we'd have to go outside, where it was five degrees with wind chill, and snowing. There wasn't a hotel in sight, and we couldn't really fly to where there was one when we were in this condition, exhausted and sick and freezing our asses off…

Angel pinched me. "Stop it, Fang," she hissed. "I'm trying not to think of it. I don't want to think about it. I don't _want _to go out in the cold again." Her voice had raised to a low whimper, loud enough for the procession to hear—the priest and servers had already gone around back, Mass ended, and the people were coming to the back of the church and to the door. Heads turned at the sound of Angel's pleading voice.

Max pulled her hood up and I stood, pulling Angel securely onto my hip; Max tried to help Trinity up, but his head was spinning and he was feeling too nauseous. He sat back down heavily and his head flopped back. Ten pitched in, trying to help Max get Trinity up, but it wasn't working.

I turned to try helping him, but I found myself penned in by concerned kids. Their parents were following, or tugging on their arms, but the kids didn't pay attention. They stared at us.

"Well, where's the rest of you?" some kid with a twang asked.

"Not here," Max said.

"It really is her!" another kid gasped. "Dude! Mom, I told you so! It's Max, Fang, Angel, and—what's-his-name!"

Although amused, I felt obligated to bristle. "That's my brother."

"Oh yeah. Fang's brother. What's-his-name."

Ten took this as his cue from me to try to pitch in. "That's not what's-his-name! That's Uncle Trinity!"

The boy with the twang shrugged and raised his hand and I nodded at him. "You guys need a place to stay the night?" he asked. "'Cause you look cold and there ain't any hotels, and there ain't no way you can fly in this weather."

"Can hardly drive," someone else agreed.

I looked at Max, who hesitated. _Angel?_ I asked.

_Hold on, talking to Max._ She continued to look at Max, and then Max looked at Trinity. _She's accepting,_ Angel said.

"Do you have any soup?" Max asked, pointing at Trin, and the kid with a twang nodded.

"But we don't have any room at my place," he said. "Sally does." He pointed at yet another kid, who waved cheerily.

"Whoa, wait a moment!" one of the adults said. "You can't just invite strangers into your house!"

"They're _not_ strangers," the kids whined all at once.

"They're the flock! They're superheroes. How in the world can we not help them?"

"How do you even know for sure they are who you think they are?" That was a mom, who put her hands on her hips and gave us a very Max-like glare.

The kids were unimpressed, and pointed to Ten. I gave him a half-hearted glare when I saw his wings hanging out from under his jacket.

He hid his face from me and I had to sigh and pick him up. The mom watched his back with wide eyes before tearing her gaze away and nodding curtly. "Okay then, We'll get this sorted."

I gave Ten a small high five. "Nice manipulating skills, little man!"

He beamed at me. "Go ninjas!"

"Awww!" The girl who I guessed was Sally pressed right up against me to get at Ten, making Bambi eyes. "You're so _cute!"_

He blushed and looked at me for help. I gave him a thumbs up. He looked back at the girl. "Roar?"

She squealed. "Is he your brother too, Fang?" she demanded.

I wondered if I should lie, or blush, or what. Ten took care of that question for me. "He's my dad. Do you have cooties or something?"

Sally gawked at me, then at Max, then at Ten. I nodded at Ten solemnly. "Cooties. Most definitely."

He frowned at her. "Do gummy bears cure cooties?" But he mispronounced it as 'cuties'. I laughed and turned away to Max. She gave me a smile and a nod, and I knew we had a place to stay. After hanging around for a while longer we were quickly on our way to Sally's, and once we were there we of course had to be introduced.

"Max, Fang, Trinity, Angel, Fax's Child, this is my dad and my grandma," Sally said proudly.

We all said hello and stood around awkwardly. Sally's dad smiled widely at us. "So are you the flock she goes on and on about? And let's not forget the fax!" Sally blushed.

"Not that way!" she protested.

Max and I rolled our eyes.

Ten was confused. "What's Fax?"

The grandma was busting up in her rocker. Ten gave her a strange look and looked up at me. I shrugged. "Later. You're mom can explain that one." Max shot me a death glare. "This is for that one Figgy joke," I hissed at her.

She scowled at me. "I don't remember a Figgy jo--oh. Nevermind. That was good though and you know it."

"Maybe it was good, maybe it wasn't," I said. "Either way, this is payback."

She shook her head. "Evil, you are."

Sally squeed. Ten looked at Sally's grandma. "Is she going to keep doing that?" The grandma, the dad, and the mom nodded in unison. Ten's eyebrows shot up. "Wow..."

"Bedtime," I said. "Anywhere I can tuck this monster in?"

"Upstairs. I'll show you!" Sally practically bounced down the hall ahead of us. I nodded at the rest of her family as we passed. "…And this is his room, and your room to, and Trin's room, and Angel and Max can sleep in _that _room…"

I slipped away with Ten as soon as she said what room we had, leaving the others to be shown around.

Ten was tucked into bed, all curled up and nearly asleep, when he called, "Daddy?" I sat down beside him and felt my hand get snatched up in a vice grip. I smoothed back his hair.

"Yeah, kid?"

"Stay?" he whispered, and tightened his grip on my hand.

I nodded. "I didn't intend to leave you, buddy."

He smiled and hid his face in my chest as I lay down beside him, slipping my arm beneath his shoulders and kicking my shoes off in the same moment. Then I was slipping beneath the covers and tucking his small form closer to my body within my jacket for warmth. He sniffled pleasantly, warming up.

"You 'kay?" I asked gently.

"Mhm."

I rubbed his back. "Sleep tight."

"Don't let the bedbugs bite."

"Sweet dreams."

"Love you, Daddy."

I smiled. "Love you too," I said, and pressed my lips to his hair. I heard a small inhalation from the doorway, and didn't need to look to see that it was Max. I turned a bit to squint at her anyway. "What's up?"

The door clicked shut and she moved over to my side, and she knelt down. She pressed a hand on my cheek, then on Ten's. She smiled. I exhaled, blowing her hair out of her face without having to move, and smiled when she made a face at me.

"Is he going to be okay?" she whispered.

"Yeah," I said. "I think so."

I shifted us, scooting farther back so she could sit on the bed or lay down if she wanted. She merely wrapped her arms around my neck. "I'm going to tuck Angel in and go to bed myself," she said. "Just wanted to say goodnight."

I kissed her cheek. "Good night then, Max."

She kissed my lips and departed; Trinity came in a few seconds later and closed the door behind him. This time I wrapped Ten up securely before sitting up myself. "Trin?" He sent an affirmative, with a question mark tagged at the end, unable to speak because his throat was sore. "Nothing." He shrugged and lay down on the air mattress on the floor, stretching out and sniffling again.

I laid back down, and let myself fall into much needed deep sleep.

* * *

I woke to a pair of hands around my neck, tightening. Ten was screaming somewhere in the background. I fought off the hands, dealt a crashing blow to the person's head, and swung at Ten's attacker. "Trinity!" I shouted. "Max!"

The door burst open and Max and Angel were there, throwing themselves into helping us. I hadn't realized Trinity was already here, but I did now when I went to dodge the attackers and tripped over him. His rasping breathing told me he was alright.

Angel screamed loudly, her eyes flaring wide and her pupils shrinking, her fingers outstretched and tense. Sally—or whoever it was that had been trying to strangle me; her face was distorted too much to be recognizable—froze and her eyes rolled back into her head, as did the eyes of Ten's and Trin's attackers.

I rolled away from her and scooped Ten up while grabbing Trin's arm and yanking him along. I shoved Ten at Max and grabbed Angel and took off for the nearest window.

Luckily for us the blizzard had ended sometime in the night. Or, earlier in the night, as it was still pitch black out.

Ten was crying softly, and Trin seemed to be suffocating from snot clogging his nose and throat. His eyes were streaming as well, and his face was scratched, but he sent me an _"I'm fine, stupidfreakingmorongit"_ feeling and glare that told me he was indeed fine. Max looked almost worse than Trin, with a black eye and a bloody nose. Angel was fine outwardly, but if from what I'd just seen was correct she'd be feeling the moral repercussions of killing two or more people. That is, if they were people at all.

"What were those?" I shouted over the wind as we high-tailed it out of there.

Angel didn't even try to yell as she had a much more effective way of communication, but even in her thoughts she was shaky. _I don't know. I thought...there wasn't anything wrong with Sally and the others before, but now--their _minds...!

Everyone flinched at the thought. Ten said, "I told you! I told you, that's what ITEX was making! That's what they were making! Zombies!"

Max looked back at Angel. "Ange, can you match anything from Ten's memories with what we just saw?" Ange nodded, and she dropped a few feet so she was in the very back of our V formation—the easiest place to fly. Her eyes closed, and she went to work. I flew up by Max now, ready to take the lead, or Ten. She just kept flying, and by her eyes I could tell she was completely drained. "Dang..." She shook her head. "I'm such a wimp!"

"We could do with a lack of charity," I agreed.

She snorted. "You're telling me." Now she allowed herself to drop back, but not to let me take the lead or carry my son. Instead she let us fly side by side, distorting our formation. "Do we keep flying until morning? I can't remember if that has any affect on zombies, or if ITEX would even include that weakness."

I shrugged. "Depends which movie."

She scowled. "Just our luck if we wind up with stupid sparkly zombies..."

"Well then we'll just have to call KIX to come over. Or an Eraser."

"_Why?"_

"Because the sparkly fairy zombies can only be killed by werewolves or other vampires," Trinity said. "Duh."

She shook her head. "No, that's sparkly fairy vampires. Not zombies."

"What's the difference?" Trinity asked, and I gave Max a look to go along with it.

Max rolled her eyes, unimpressed, and put on a slight burst of speed. I didn't bother flying up to catch her or trying to take the lead again. I dropped back by Trin and pushed a _"So..."_ feeling at him.

"_Yup."_

"_Mhm."_

"_Cha…"_

_Will you two be quiet? _Angel snapped.

"Sorry, Angel," we said.

_Sorry. _She sighed._ Not fun picking through this, and it's distracting..._ We nodded along. Trinity sneezed and coughed. I snuffled against the wind, and tried to rub some feeling back into my freezing face. Finally, our silent flight was broken by Angel's mental voice again._ Got it._

"What do you have?"

She sent Trinity an annoyed glance. _They're not zombies, _she said. _They're the test subjects for the flu. Remember a year and a half ago, the spring before Annie and Nicky were born, when there was that 'epidemic' everyone was freaking out about and people were going in to the clinics and disappearing?_

"Yeah."

_Those people were the people who disappeared for a while. They've come back, obviously, seemingly healthy—but they're different. They're changed._

"The flu changed them into psycho zombie freaks? This _is_ a horror movie."

_Not the flu itself. There never WAS a real flu. They were just minor symptoms of a common cold or something and ITEX put it out there that it was a killer flu, so people would panic and come in. The tests the ITEX put the people through _because _of the 'flu' made them this way._

Max scowled. "So they were victims and now they're tools. Any idea what the plan is with them or how to beat them?" Angel shook her head. "Go figure… Well, thanks, Ange."

I sighed, and Trin said, "We should tell Sable and Ana about this."

Angel waved. "Already on it!"

Max smiled at her. "That's my little sister."

Angel's expression wavered, then she frowned, seemingly confused. She hid it under a mask of concentration. I blinked.

"_Huh?"_ Trinity asked, and I shrugged.

* * *

**Five Months Later – April 13****th**

The rest of the search consisted of us flying until our wings were too sore to continue and Ten began chucking gummy bears at Trin and me. Max glared at all of us, and I knew she was beginning to panic. We only had a month left. If we didn't find Eleven soon… I didn't want to think about it, and so I didn't. I really couldn't think about anything at that moment, because I was exhausted. We had been flying faster, farther, and with fewer rest stops in an attempt to cover more ground before our deadline and it was taking its toll on us all. Trinity's flu had passed in January, but he'd had a lasting pallor and gauntness ever since. Hard travel wasn't helping his recovery.

We began to descend without really meaning to, we were so tired. I landed and it was a miracle that my knees didn't collapse out from under me. Trinity began to set up camp, and I waited for Angel to land so that I could hand her her things. Max was coming in to land as well, Ten clinging to her neck with the baggy of gummy bears clenched in his teeth.

And then Max gasped and put a hand on her head. I could tell she was talking to the Voice, but at the panic and shock on her face I knew it couldn't be good. I readied myself, and sure enough Ten came gliding down towards me. I caught him.

"Ange, what's going on?"

"Shh! The Voice is telling her where Eleven is!"

_What!_ I ignored Angel's scathing look but kept my silence a while longer, but after a few more of Max's wing beats I was pestering her again. _Ange?_

"SHUDDUP!"

Max finally landed beside me, and gave Angel a grin. "Sorry for keeping you so long," she said, then turned back to us with excitement in her eyes. "He's just up ahead! Just another day's flight in that direction, and we're there!"

Ten beamed. "We're gonna get him!"

"That we are," Max said, "That we are."

He flapped wildly. "Let's go! Let's go!" I caught his arm.

"Hold on a minute." I looked back at Max. "That's a ways away and we'd be going on almost no sleep. It's not like we couldn't do that before, but we're wimps now. We should find some place for the rest of the night and take off first thing in the morning."

Max reluctantly agreed, so we flew a small distance to some trees and huddled together in a single tree for safety. I again found myself at the center of the dog pile.

Ten was near me, his head on my lap. He looked too excited and agitated to sleep, so I decided to have him talk to me so that he'd calm down a bit. "What's your brother like?" I asked, wrapping his scarf around his neck.

"Me." He snuggled closer to me. "Only cooler, but you can't let him know I said that."

Trinity and I exchanged amused glances over Ten's head. He grinned. I looked back at Ten. "What else? What do you like most about him?"

He wrinkled his nose. "Um...he doesn't smell bad...most of the time, at least. And he's brave. And tough. And smart." He paused. "And he's never ever afraid. He's always strong. But I guess I said that in tough and brave, right?"

"That's alright. You're making a point." I smiled. "Is he as epic of a ninja kid as you are?"

Ten scowled at me. "I said he was cooler. And you still can't let him know that!"

"Alright, alright, we promise!"

He smiled weakly, his face suddenly sad. "When they took him… I was crying a lot. I thought they were going to terminate him. But… But… He never looked frightened at all…"

"Hey, it's alright," Trinity said. "Hey...I'd have cried too if I thought they were taking someone away from me, being left behind is harder, especially if you're being left behind like that."

He sighed and nestled closer. "Yeah. It is," and his tone signaled that the conversation was over.

I settled in for the night. "Sleep tight." _Ah, sleep…_

I dreamt of Ari for some reason, remembering the glimpse of expiration date I'd seen on his neck. The look on Max's face whenever she remembered him…I saw Trinity's face and imagined him dying--again… I imagined being Ten's age, looking at all the others being dragged off to tests and wondering if I'd ever see them again. I remembered the Bellatrix of my past who had stuck me with so many needles that I'd had a deep and unmovable fear of them ever since... I remembered the redness of my eyes in various reflective surfaces whenever Beta had been particularly rowdy inside of my head... The feeling of being too big for my own body, a feeling of being too crowded inside one's own head...of hearing too many voices in your mind and knowing you were slowly, ever so slowly going insane and _there's nothing you can do about it._..

I woke up with a swiftly beating heart and a sour taste in my mouth, and the feeling of being made of wood. I shook it off as best as I could. My joints popped as I moved, but soon I was up and waking the others. We ate, and then we tried flying around a bit to warm up. We rehearsed escape plans, made sure Ten knew to run when we told him to… And after that we were off and making good speed.

Soon enough, the building was in sight. We could see experiments exercising in the courtyard, but no winged hybrids were there so there wasn't any netting above the open space. I could see Flyboys there as well, acting as guards now that the Fallen had deserted. But there were also the familiar male-model types.

"Erasers?" Max wondered aloud, seeing them as well. "What the hell are they doing alive?"

I shrugged and glanced back at Angel. "Are they zombies?"

She shook her head. "All of these places we've been in Colorado—Ten's, and this one, and a few others—are holding and storage branches. These Erasers are the last of their kind, being held as backups."

Max shook her head. "That's sad. Typical, but sad. Think we'd be able to get a few on our side?"

"We can get everyone except the white coats and the Flyboys," Angel said.

"Sweet. Mega rescue mission, here we come." We put on a burst of speed. "Fang, Ten, and I will get Eleven and loose everyone we can on the way," Max said. "Trin, you and Angel try getting everyone else loose and Angel, if you can, try knocking out all the white coats. Maybe without them the Flyboys'll be thrown for a loop."

Angel frowned. "If I'm knocking out white coats, how am I supposed to be locating Eleven and telling you where he is?"

Max blinked. "Um. Is there any chance we'd be able to get him without you locating him?" Angel shrugged. "Do you think we could if you put us in the right direction, or if the Voice decides to be more talkative?"

Angel nodded. "Yeah. Let's keep circling for just a bit while I try to get the 'right direction', 'kay?"

We did. Ten kept looking down below, he was worried when he looked at me. "I don't think Eleven can fly either. Can we get out if you both have to carry someone?"

That was a good point. I looked at Max. "I can carry one, you carry the other," she said. "No problem." But I had a bad feeling about this.

Trinity seemed to agree, as I could feel his emotions broiling under his calm surface. He glanced at me, and our wings brushed for a moment. He nodded, and I shrugged.

At least Ten was appeased. "Okay."

"Got it," Angel said. "Fifth floor, south. It's by the operating room." Ten looked at her blankly, too afraid to show how afraid he was. She shook her head. "He's fine. They haven't operated on him."

"Fifth floor, south, by operating room," Max murmured under her breath. "Alright. You guys ready for this?" We nodded. "Alright. On three, we bomb. One… Two… Three!"

We tucked in our wings, angled our bodies, and sliced through the air. The soft whistling sound that comes with such dive-bombing rang in my ears, and the other experiments heard it. They looked up, and their jaws dropped. Some pumped the air with their fists in excitement.

Angel and Trinity broke away from our group, snapping out their wings and landing. Max and I pulled up, counting windows, and landed on the fire escape of the fourth level. The fifth floor had no windows on this side.

We opened the nearest window, and Max climbed in first. When she saw the hall was clear, she gave me a thumbs up and I pushed Ten through, then followed. We followed the signs until we found the staircase, then climbed up.

We slowed down as we reached the fifth floor. It sounded like there were people in there, and when I peeked through the stairwell door's window I saw that they were white coats. I could see them just across the hall, in the operating room. They were in scrubs and had their backs to us and eyes on the patient. On the door was a sign.

AUTOPSY 2:30PM – 4:15PM

SUBJECT 23498 LIZARD

DIED OF NITROGEN ASPHYXIATION

The sign covered the door's view of the stairwell just enough that they wouldn't notice us. I waved at Max, and she pushed open the door. Years of experience had taught us that if you waltz through doors as if you didn't care, no one would look up. And they didn't.

Ten followed before the door shut, and I pushed it open as well. We walked down the hall, south. The doors had windows on them, all of them. Max determined which ones held _live_ experiments, and released them quietly. They escaped without alerting any scientists, luckily. Finally, Ten stopped breathing, and he puckered his lips as he tried to keep an excited squeal in. He gestured wildly at the door; I looked in, and there he was.

He looked almost exactly as Ten had when we first found him except that his hair was cut short, and his eyes as they stared up at the ceiling were more brown than red. He was strapped to his bed, but it was the kind of straps that were easy to break out of if you really tried. Either he was sick, drugged, malnourished…or he just hadn't tried. The third option was more likely.

I tried opening the door, but it was locked. Eleven looked up, and when he saw me his expression cleared. He mouthed something, but I didn't see what it was exactly. Max narrowed her eyes in concentration, and then she said, "It's a code, it opens by code!"

We searched for it, while I mimed breaking the glass. Eleven shook his head and mouthed _'Alarm.'_

I gritted my teeth and turned to Max. "Where's the keypad, then?"

She began feeling around the door, and I looked around the hall and my eyes landed on the clock. We were running out of time before the autopsy was finished and the scientists came out and found us here. And then there was my bad feeling… I kept glancing at the clock, and then back at the operating room, and then both directions down the hall…

"Where is it, where is it?" Max muttered to herself. Her eyes closed and she frowned.

_Thank you, Voice, for deciding to be helpful._

Max's fingers landed on a section of the wall, and she slid it aside to reveal the keypad. Her eyes still closed, she typed in a number sequence. The lock clicked.

"The Voice says that you're welcome, Fang." She shrugged, and opened the door.

I was in there first, snapping the restraints and putting Eleven on the floor. Ten hung back, but he was grinning. "Can you fly?" I asked Eleven.

In reply he unfurled beautiful, healthy, pitch black wings. "I can fly," he said.

I nodded. "Can you walk?"

He demonstrated by walking out the door. "Which way's out?"

"This way," Max said and swung Ten up into her arms. "The plan's head there as quick as you can—nearest window, open it, fly away, without getting caught or killed."

Eleven nodded, and Max led him out safely. I tried to follow, but just as I was opening the door to the operating room opened. A gun was cocked at my head. "Fre—"

I shot through the door and dove down the stairwell to where Max was ushering the boys out of the window. "Incoming!" Max and I jumped out the window, Max snatched Ten, and then Eleven, Max, and I flew off. We didn't bother looking behind us as we left. This was not a big enough place to be that heavily fortified. They wouldn't have anything to catch us with._ Angel! Where are you guys?_

"Here!" They flew up to us. "They've got guns. Move it!"

"Moving it!"

We high-tailed it out of there, and Eleven kept up easily. It seemed he'd gotten his mother's speed, which was a good thing in this case. He was silent for a while, although he couldn't stop smiling as Ten babbled loudly over the wind rushing past us. "I can't believe you're here too! You're gonna love it! Mom is awesome, and Dad's a ninja, and how do you fly so well? Why can you fly and I can't?"

"They taught me how to," Eleven said simply.

Ten's face screwed up and I thought he was going to state the obvious that it wasn't fair, but it wasn't fair that they had been in cages and experimented on in the first place or that we hadn't known they'd existed. Nothing in their lives had ever been fair. Ten squirmed. "I'm gonna fly someday! And I'm gonna be really good at it!"

I grinned at Max as we evaded their bullets easily with years of practice. "He gets the determination from me."

She sniffed. "That's not determination, that's stubbornness, and yes, he does get that from you."

Finally, the bullets stopped and the vans pulled back. We didn't slow down quite yet. And Ten wasn't done yet either. "Eleven, you're a ninja, and your name can be Fred, okay?"

"Fred?" Eleven gave his brother an incredulous look. "Did you come up with that?"

Ten grinned. "I want to be George!"

I glared teasingly at Max.

Eleven raised his hands. "I'll think about it."

Ten shrugged. "Well, Mom likes Sirius and Regulus and everybody else doesn't, and they want to call us whatever we want to be called."

Eleven shook his head. "I'll think about it," he repeated.

Ten pouted. "Fine…"

Eleven smiled and swung closer to Max, so that he could smack Ten over the head, before dropping back to his place. "Stop frowning," he said.

"Make me." Ten beamed before trying to put on a terrifying scowl that I really had to try not to laugh at. Ten struggled to keep his composure, but at Eleven's lifted eyebrow he began to giggle. Ten snuggled closer to Max and grinned at Eleven. "You're going to love this."

Eleven's smile softened, and he didn't reply. But the look he had on his face said all.

I brushed wings with him. "If you don't mind I'm going to give you the briefing, okay?" He nodded. "Okay. You know Ten. To be blunt, Max and I are your parents. Trin is my brother, your uncle. Angel is like our sister, she's a member of our flock, our family. Glad to have you."

He nodded. "Glad to have you too," he said simply. "Are we going to meet up with the rest of your flock, or do we have something else to do?"

I glanced at Max. She shifted her hold on Ten. "We'll meet up with them eventually, but they aren't in flying distance now. Now we're just going to fly as far away from here as we can and find another good motel, one without crazy psychos hopefully." I nodded. Eleven gave a blink that probably constituted a nod, and turned his face forward. Max, not one for awkward silences nowadays, continued. "We can get you clothes, too. And a bath. And some food. Have you ever had corn dogs before?"

Eleven shook his head and Ten was grinning again, exclaiming, "Corn dogs! We need corn dogs! They're amazing!"

Eleven gave his brother an indulgent, if a bit exasperated, half smile. I had a feeling that he was used to Ten's enthusiasm and abundant energy. "Is he always like this?" I asked.

"You don't know the half of it."

"I can't wait to know all of it."

Eleven gave a soft chuckle. "You asked for it."

* * *

**Review please, and happy New Year's!**


	48. Chapter 45: Broken Family

_**A/N:** Still not in-touch and in-tune with the story, really... Been working on other things lately. This is the End of Part Two. Apologies if it seems strung together or lacking in substance and style...yup...  
_

* * *

**Max**

Later, when not only Eleven was beginning to have trouble keeping up as his eyes drooped, Max gave us the all clear and we alighted at a tiny, ragged motel and checked in. Ten followed Max as she led the way into the room.

"This is awesome! There are going to be corn dogs and ketchup and forts and Dad's going to teach you how to be a ninja!"

Trinity and Angel both walked past us and crashed immediately; Angel on one of the four beds (hey, we managed to get _four _beds this time) and Trinity on the floor with his arm as his only pillow. They were both out like lights.

Ten was oblivious to this and his own exhaustion, and continued to babble on as Max attempted to make dinner (in the loosest terms. She set up our fast food meals on the table).

Eleven seemed to be too tired to protest or indeed say anything as he sat down on the couch and seemed to deflate a little, though his eyes and his small smile, however tired they were, were only for his brother. He watched as Ten dragged me by the hand over to the bed, where he proceeded to drag all the top blankets off and tried (and failed) to begin a fort.

I gave in and began to help him, and soon we had a full "ninja castle fort thingy of awesome!" Ten had eaten his two chicken nugget Happy Meals inside the fort, and now was searching for other things to occupy himself with. Eleven had apparently fallen asleep, his breaths coming deeply and his eyes shut. But Ten seemed to either not notice or not care as he grabbed Eleven's hand and began to drag him towards the fort. Eleven fell off the couch and onto the floor, and then stood and planted his feet firmly on the ground. He wasn't even quite awake, probably just refusing to go into the fort based solely on the fact that he had been warm and safe on the couch and wasn't feeling like indulging his brother anytime soon.

I grabbed Ten by the shoulders and steered him back to the fort. "Leave him be, he still needs to take a bath." I looked back at Eleven, until I was sure I had his attention. "Are you awake enough to hear me? You should probably take a bath. Do you need help?"

Eleven shook his head. "I've got it." He turned, grabbed the clean clothes we'd bought him from the local cheap store, and stumbled into the bathroom. The door closed behind him and the water turned on a moment later. Max and I shared concerned glances.

Ten was oblivious as he began to steal all the pillows he could get a hold of and stash them in the fort. "We can have a pillow fight!"

"Sweetie," Max said, "maybe later. Your brother's really tired. He's been through a lot. Maybe after he's all better?"

"No, I meant with you guys!" He beamed at us.

I rolled my eyes. "Every man for himself or do you have teams in mind?"

"Me 'n' Mom against you!"

Max grinned and chucked a pillow at me. "I like this plan."

And then I was tackled, and pillows began smacking down on my head, and someone was tickling me. "This isn't fair! Not fair, I tell you!"

"Is too! You have awesome ninja skills!"

"Yeah!"

"Thanks a lot Max!"

It was truly a miracle that Angel and Trinity managed to sleep through this. When finally I managed to capture Ten, heft him over one shoulder, and grab Max by the waist so I could plant one on her lips, Eleven had come out, hair dripping wet but clean and in new clothes.

I dumped Ten on a bed. "Alright, bedtime for you," Max said.

Ten wriggled around. "No! We can't sleep yet! There's so much to do! Eleven just got here!"

"You have tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day," Max said in a sweet voice, and the thought seemed to thrill Ten.

"But what if we start today?"

"Go to bed." Eleven smacked Ten with a pillow.

"Dad, they're all ganging up on me!"

I pulled the pillow back enough to see his face. "Shh," I whispered in his ear. "If you pretend to be asleep for a while, they'll leave you alone." I winked at him. I knew he wouldn't be able to stay awake. But he didn't.

"Oh." He grinned at me. "Okay. I like your awesome ninja skills Dad!"

I ruffled his hair and tucked him in under the covers. "Night, kid."

"Night, Mom, Dad, Eleven!"

"Sh!" I smacked him with a pillow that he hugged tightly. "You're supposed to be sleeping. Calm down."

He nodded vigorously and closed his eyes, beginning to give of loud snores that were obviously fake. Max shook her head and turned to Eleven, who had been watching Ten and my's exchange with a distant look on his face. "Do you want to go to bed now?" Max asked softly.

A strange look came over Eleven's face. "Sure," he said uncomfortably.

"You'll have to share a bed with Ten," I said.

"Unless you want that one," Max said, pointing to the one that we'd initially planned to be hers. But Eleven shook his head and climbed into Ten's bed, wrapping his arms around a pillow and holding close to his chest. "Do you want us to tuck you in?" Max asked.

Eleven shrugged. "I don't know."

I felt my chest tighten, and put a hand on his shoulder. "How about we try it tonight, and you can tell us if you want us to stop?" Max asked. He shrugged again, and she took that as an 'go ahead'. She leaned down and pulled the downy comforter closer to his chin, pressing it around his back and his neck. She smoothed back his still-damp hair, and kissed his forehead tenderly. "Goodnight," she said.

"Sleep tight," I said.

"And don't let the bed bugs bite."

"Sweet dreams."

"And I love you," Max finished. Eleven gave a small smile, and closed his eyes. Max and I exchanged a glance. "Nice improv," Max whispered. I nodded. She rolled her eyes at me. "Don't turn back into always-silent Fang on me."

I smirked. "Fine. Be that way." I pushed her towards her bed. "I'm tired, Max. You should be too. Try pretending to sleep, like Ten."

She turned around. "Do I get a goodnight kiss?" she asked mockingly. Instead of replying out loud, I pulled her close and kissed her deeply. As I kissed her, as the fireworks—dim from overuse and time's passage—went off somewhere in the back of my head, I was filled with a strange, wrenching feeling in my chest. It was similar to the feeling I'd had just a moment ago with Eleven, a sense of urgency, that I must hasten to enjoy these moments because the days were numbered. It was a feeling I used to be familiar with, back when we were young and naïve and on the run constantly. Now, it was strange, and driving.

Max responded with the same need, and as our breathing deepened I vaguely wondered if she felt the same way too, if she felt the same pressure on her consciousness like there was something driving her, something that glued her to me like it glued me to her… We pulled away eventually and I pressed my face into her neck, wrapping my arms around her back and pulling her closer and closer, as if I couldn't bear to let go.

"Do you feel it?" I asked her.

"No," she said.

Her wide brown eyes searched mine for an answer and I shrugged it off. "Nothing. Something feels...I don't know. I guess it's because we just got both kids." I kissed her again, this time very lightly. "It's nothing. Sleep tight."

She let go of me reluctantly and kicked off her shoes, then climbed into her bed. I watched her settle down, and then I made my way back to the sofa. I lay staring up at the dark ceiling for a very long time, listening to the steady breathing of everyone else.

I heard and felt Trinity stir, and soon he'd trudged over to the kitchen table to get his cold dinner, and then he stumbled back over to me and sat down in the space my legs had vacated. My feet went back on his lap, and he grunted.

"Do _you?"_ I asked, and sent him a shadow of the urgent, impending doom type feeling I had.

He mulled it over. "Slightly," he replied. "But I think it's because I've had it ever since we left the others…"

"Huh." I closed my eyes. "Maybe I really am just overreacting because of the kids."

"Probably not," Trinity said. "Remember what the Voice told Max? That this is going to be an epic quest of epic proportions and we might not see the others for a long time, blah blah blah? Right now, since we found Ten and Eleven, we have nothing that would keep us from going back to the others. Something has to happen to keep us away for that 'long, long time'. And, knowing how the cosmic forces like to screw with us, it's not going to be something involving rainbows that eat rainbows and poop out butterflies. And it's going to happen soon."

I gave him a blank look. "I thought it was ponies that ate rainbows and pooped butterflies. If rainbows ate rainbows wouldn't that be cannibalism?"

"…What did I say?"

"I think you're tired."

"I am," he sighed. "But nothing like you are. I've slept a good two hours. You look beat."

"Yeah." I yawned. "Well, I'm going to sleep. You going to stay up?"

"And gorge myself? Heck yeah." He grinned and patted my foot. "Nighty-night, Fanglekins."

I kicked him, and went to sleep.

* * *

**Max**

I woke to the scuffing of little feet as someone small walked past my bed. I sat up slowly, and my eyes adjusted to the darkness in time to see a short, dark figure disappearing into the bathroom. The door closed, but not completely, and the light clicked on. There wasn't another sound; they were just in there.

Puzzled and worried, I threw back my covers and followed with only a glance at Ten and Eleven's bed to figure out who it was I was after; Ten was still snoozing and dreaming deeply. He was beginning to murmur things in his sleep. I tucked him in again and headed over to the bathroom, to wait by the door in case Eleven needed anything. I couldn't think why he'd need to use the bathroom now in the middle of the night since he could have gone before bed. I was worried about him being sick. Who knew what they could have given him at the labs?

I reached the door and knocked ever so softly. "It's Max. Can I come in?" I asked.

"Mhm."

I found him sitting on the white floor, his knees pulled up to his chin and his arms wrapped around his legs, rocking back and forth ever so slightly with an incredibly tired, bored expression on his face. As I pushed the door open wider, Eleven's eyes narrowed. "Close it," he hissed.

I did so, surprised at his tone. "Did you have a nightmare?" I asked him. He shook his head. "What's wrong, then?"

He sighed and squeezed his fingers till they turned white, and, burying his face in his knees, mumbled, "I'm 'fraid of the dark." Only his ashamed tone told me he was embarrassed; he didn't seem capable of flushing. I sat down beside him, and carefully lay my arm across his shoulders. His wings twitched at the contact, but he didn't fight it.

I wondered if I should ask why, but then I shook it off. I didn't want to bring any more painful memories than necessary. "It's okay," I said. "You don't have to be embarrassed."

"Yes I do. It's stupid." He scowled. "I'm supposed to be the strong one."

Oh man, where had he gotten _that_ from?

_Where have you heard _that_ before? _the Voice asked me. If I wasn't preoccupied and the Voice was a physical being, I'd glare at him.

Instead, I gave Eleven's shoulder a squeeze. "I'm the strong one for my flock," I said. "For Angel, and Nudge, Gazzy, Iggy—even for your father, sometimes. But just because you're the strong one doesn't mean it's bad to need someone else to be strong for you." _Wait, what?_ "I mean, it's okay to be scared. It's okay to worry, and to need to not be strong for a bit. And that's what you have your dad and me for."

His face screwed up like he didn't believe it and didn't want to hear it, like he was about to stop me with one of those stupid 'but' comments, but he didn't. He had hope in his eyes as he leaned against me tentatively, testing me. "Being scared of the dark is still stupid."

"But you're not," I said. "Don't put yourself down, and don't bottle it away. Sometimes you need to let it out." He shrugged, and his head rested right above my breast, over my heart. His eyes closed as he listened, and he relaxed. He might have even smiled.

_Did you know that listening to heartbeats will instinctively calm most creatures?_ Jeb's voice asked softly. _Puppies, kittens…you calm them by placing a small watch or clock next to them, so that they can hear the beating… It's the same with babies._

I stroked Eleven's small hand. It was warm and the skin was like velvet; it loosened and clasped my fingers tightly.

_Screw you, _I told Jeb, and kissed Eleven's forehead again.

Just then, the door opened. I didn't have to look up to tell that the zombie-like gate was Fang's. I grinned. "Daddy come to enjoy the love-fest?" I asked.

He didn't say anything, only let a low groan out through his teeth. I blinked and looked up, worried, but one hand was covering his face, obscuring any expression he was making; but I could tell he seemed to be in pain. He growled again, and for some reason I stiffened as if I were in actual physical danger, as if it were an Eraser or a Fallen growling at me. My grip on Eleven tightened, and he shuddered. A whistling breath escaped his lips.

"Max—Mom—I think I'm good now. I'm going to bed n-now…" But he made no move to move, eyes locked on Fang with some sort of horror on his face. I looked up at Fang to see what was wrong, and I forgot to breathe.

His eyes were red.

I gave Eleven a reassuring squeeze before shoving him behind me. He backpedaled into the bathtub. I held my hands up to Fang—Beta. "Stop it, Fang," I said firmly, but he just snorted.

"'Stop it, Fang'," he mimicked and closed the bathroom door behind him. The lock shut, and as it clicked, a trickle of icy dread seemed to spill down my spine; my mind tried to keep up with what was happening, unaccustomed to the fuzz that came with adrenaline.

_Since when could Beta talk?_

I took a step back and my hands balled into fists. I was ready to let my temper fly, I wasn't Maximum Ride for nothing. _But would it make a difference?_ I wondered. Outwardly I sneered. "That's a talent, it really is. Next you're going to want to destroy candy bars."

Beta shook his head and pushed past me, reaching for Eleven; Eleven pressed himself back into the tub. "I'll deal with you first..." Beta's eyes narrowed.

I shoved my way in-between them. "What in the world do you think you're doing?"

Beta sighed in a blustery manner, grabbed me by the arm, and swung me around to look at Eleven. "You see that thing?" he said.

"That's my son," I hissed and jerked away. "Our son," I corrected myself.

"Maybe," Beta replied, "but it's still a threat!" He moved faster than I could dodge, and had me pinned in a corner, his hands on either side of my shoulders and my back wedged into the tight space. His breath played on my face. "You are mine, female," he snarled softly. "That means you listen to me."

_Ah, sexism at its instinctive, primitive finest._

I punched him twice. First, I bloodied his nose; then I hit him in the chin. He grabbed my hands and twisted painfully, and his knee pressed against my legs to prevent me from using them to attack. I tried to use my elbows, but it wasn't working out so well. At least, while I had Beta occupied Eleven was trying to escape. I could see him over Beta's shoulder, fumbling with the lock. I kept trying to attack Beta, defend myself against his twisting and his pressing and his tightening of his grip—but it wasn't working.

"Trin!" I bellowed. "Angel!"

I had heard them at the door a few minutes ago, actually, but now they shouted back. "Max!"

Beta hesitated. His grip on me was still like iron, but his eyes went to Eleven at the door. He was running out of time. I felt his grip on me loosen as his body angled to leap for Eleven. Still unable to move the rest of my body, I headbutted him.

Beta went down, clutching his head. He hissed in pain. "Stop it, you stupid brother!" he snarled, his fingers digging into his scalp. I ignored him, jumping over him and twisting the lock, opening the door, and throwing Eleven out. Trinity caught him and tried to grab my arm, but a hand yanked my shoulder back and the door slammed shut. I was sent skidding back onto the floor, and Beta locked the door again.

He was in a rage now. His eyes redder than ever before, the red film obscuring his pupils. "Stupid, stupid female." He growled as he pinned me against the tile. I gritted my teeth.

"Don't you know my name, Fang?" I demanded, letting my muscles go limp in hopes that that would put his guard down. Instead, he tightened his grip. _Well, that backfired. Ow. _"I mean, we've only known each other for what, a decade now?"

_…Yeah, I was just about twenty. Or twenty one now. Yeesh._

"Well so-rry, female," Beta purred, leaning his face closer. "I'm not Fang, so I guess I haven't known you for that decade, now have I?:

I tried to squirm away. "I guess not. I wouldn't want you anyway, Beta."

"Ouch," Trinity said from outside. "Buuuuurn--Oof!"

_Max! Beta's weak to you. We can't break down the door or pick the lock; you'll have to work your way out of this yourself—but you're not in any real danger. He won't hurt you much.  
_

W_ell, that's helpful. Not!_

Beta growled again, and this time he shook me. My head banged against the floor painfully. "They aren't any use to you. You're stuck with me."

"I'm just tickled. Really." I rolled my eyes, and he shook me again, harder this time. My head cracked loudly as it hit the tile, and I saw stars. I exhaled heavily. "You know, that's _not _making you any friends."

"And being snarky's not helping you, either. Do you have any idea,"—his voice changed mid-sentence, to a smoother and more excited, almost frightened tone—"what I want to do to you?"

"Not really." And again I tried to get away from him. "And I'd like to keep it that way, if you don't mind." I squirmed yet again, and then I felt something touching my thigh. I thrashed; his lips caught mine hungrily. "Whoa, whoa!" I tried to get my face away from his, and really I just ended up getting him angry, and got a track of Beta-slobber over my cheeks for talking.

He reached for my face in order to make me face him and hold me eyes were as hungry as his lips. I got an arm free and struck out.

_You're not doin' it right!_ Angel shouted in my head, panicked. _He's gaining more control—stop toying with him and use his _weaknesses!

_How the heck and I supposed to do that? Be a frickin' Mary Sue and get _raped?

_If you want to be snarky about it, fine. Not my fault if Fang goes insane and you end up dead!_

I felt anger rising in me, anger that was only partially my own. I fought back, and I went limp again. It hadn't seemed to work the first time, but Angel hadn't yelled at me for it. And if I focused on the relaxation of muscles, I didn't focus on the anger...

He grabbed me tightly, but not as tightly as before. He was studying me now, trying to figure out what I was doing. That was something I'd like to know too. Beta shifted his grip on me and it took all of my iron will to keep from punching him in the schnozzle again. He took it slow this time, as he pressed his mouth to mine, and although I didn't respond it seemed like I wasn't doing anything wrong.

He pulled away slightly. "Is this okay?"

I_t's working, Max._

Instead of speaking, I leaned forward and captured his lips. He let go of my arms, his hands sinking to my hip and my thigh, hitching my leg up closer to him.

_Ew-ew-ew-ew-ew…_

But he didn't seem as needy as before, this time going slow and smooth, and slower and slower... Surprisingly, his grip began to loosen. His eyes closed, and he slumped forward. I caught his dead weight. "Whoa, Fang, you back yet?" By now we were on the floor.

Fang's eyes opened, but they were still red. "Max?" he moaned. "Is this me?"

"I think so," I said hesitantly. I glanced back at the door. I could hear the others breathing on the other side. They were waiting for a response now. I looked back at Fang and bit my lip. _Ange? Are we fine now?_

He is.

"Nice shiner," Fang grumbled, prodding the eye where I hit him. When his searching fingers reached his bloody nose, he winced. "Great, now I look like Dumbledore… Huh, you didn't break it."

I shook my head. "No." I stood and walked over to the door and unlocked it. Trinity was the first one inside.

"Shouldn't you be in a cold shower, having a seizure or something now?" he asked as he knelt down beside his brother and checked his temperature.

"I don't know...What happened?" He looked from Trinity to me to Angel.

"Memory loss," Trin began, "and hand shaped bruises on Max's arms. You put the pieces together."

Fang groaned and flopped back. "Did I hurt anyone?" His head turned to me immediately.

"Bruises," I said. "But I don't blame you for that. Just Beta."

"For the last time—"

"Max, Fang," Angel said softly from the doorway, and we looked up to see Ten and Eleven standing back, shivering, holding each other; both of them seemed terrified. My mouth popped open and I looked at Trin, Fang, and Angel for help only to focus on the boys again. Fang's face was sad, guilty even.

I held my arms out to them and they ran over to me. "So it's true," Ten whimpered. "They really did do it."

"Do what?"

"Make Ten like Beta," Eleven said shakily. "The red eyes… They wanted to see if they could get the other part of Ten, the Beta part, out… They could only do it with the Machine… I just… We didn't think that they'd really made Dad_ into_ Beta…"

"Listen to me," I said, cupping both of their faces and making them look at me. "This doesn't happen all the time. It was just this once. It hasn't happened in over a year. You can't be afraid of your father, you understand?"

"We're not," Ten said earnestly. "We're afraid of _Beta."_

Fang's voice was pleading. "Max—"

"Save it Fang." I took Ten and Eleven's hands and pulled them closer so that they were facing their father. "He's Fang, not Beta. They aren't the same, even though he thinks that sometimes. You gotta remind him that not right, okay? He's wrong. I'm always right."

Eleven nodded. "Like Ten," he said to me. "Ten used to think he was bad, too."

Ten blushed. "Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Dad, tell him he's wrong!"

"Nuh-uh!"

I couldn't help smiling at them as I took their hands again. "Look guys, it's time for you both to be in bed. I'll see you to bed if you like, and Dad will come tuck you in later."

They exchanged silent glances, then shook their heads. "Could Dad tuck us in now?"

Fang winced.

"Dad's not in good condition, guys…"

"Still."

I looked at Fang and then at the others. "What do you think?"

Angel nodded, and Trin said, "Go ahead." Fang couldn't resist, although I could tell that he was desperately wishing I could get him out of it. I shook my head, and he stood. "Alright guys," he said dubiously. Ten grabbed his hand and led Fang out. Eleven followed more slowly.

I looked at Angel. "Will they be okay?" I demanded.

She nodded, slowly at first and then with more vigor. "He's good, Max. He's Fang now. They'll be okay."

"Okay." I nodded. "So now we need to figure out why he suddenly had an attack, and how come he's not barfing up blood and stuff right now."

Trin agreed. "Yeah. Do you have any idea what triggered Beta?"

"He was saying something about…Eleven, being a threat, or something. And how I was his and stuff."

"Your indefinite pronouns aren't agreeing, Max," Trin admonished. "You were whose?"

"Beta's."

"Oh." Trinity blinked. "So he's being possessive and protective?"

I shrugged. "I guess."

"Did he just walk in as Beta, or did he snap into it after he hung out a bit?"

"I think he came in, but I didn't pay close-enough attention…" I bit my lip, admonishing myself mentally. I should have. "Eleven started freaking out pretty quickly, though."

"So then it wasn't really triggered by Eleven, it was triggered by something else and Eleven just set Beta into the possessive must-protect-my-territory mode," Trinity mused, and turned to Angel. "Does that fit?"

Angel started. "Huh? Oh. Yeah. It makes sense." She seemed preoccupied. She glanced at me. "I'm fine. Just thinking about something."

"Alright." I looked back at Trinity. "Does it make sense to assume that? What do you think set him off, and why was he talking this time?"

Trinity opened his mouth to answer, but the sound died in his throat. He looked back at Angel. "Hm?"

"It makes sense."

"It does. But why didn't it happen with Ten?"

"Red eyes. Making him into a mini-Beta. Maybe that kept Beta from getting irked at Ten but mad at Eleven instead."

"As to the talking," Trin said, "I think it's possible that Beta's just been…not dormant like before, just lying in wait and barely 'caged'. Like, he's watching us and learning, but he couldn't gain enough control to do anything before now."

I nodded along. "It makes sense then that his being irked would give him more control seeing as he's all emotions." I shivered. "It's scary that Beta's learning, though."

Trinity met my gaze. "It's even scarier for Fang," he said. I closed my eyes and put my head in my hands. _I knew _that_, Trin,_ I thought darkly._ Don't you remember that I have voices in my head, too? That I have three people in my head, with the power to control my life for better and for worse? Don't you know that I'm _still _afraid of being the weak link, being the one who rips us all apart... I know what Fang feels like... God, if there's a way to fix this for _him _at least, let me find it!_

"We can find a cure for this, Max," Angel said. "But we have to go out and _find_ it. Ten will be fine as long as he's not stuck in another one of those machines again. But Fang… There's no telling how long he has until Beta completely takes over, or takes over long enough to do real damage."

"What do you want me to do? You name what I've got to do to cure Fang of Beta, and I'll do it."

"Take Ten and Eleven and find Lucifer," Angel said. "Once you find him, head to the government. Get ITEX out of power."

"That's not a big goal at all." I shook my head. "Why would I take the boys to find Luce and to get rid of ITEX? How would that work?"

"The boys have hidden talents, like we did," Angel said. "They'll only develop along that road. I can _see_ that. They wouldn't do as well if they came with us. They'll be safer with you, and you'll succeed at more with you."

I nodded along, if only because I knew Angel would be right in the end by now. "I don't see how they'd be safer if we took off now, even if that might help the development with their powers. I think it'd be best if we didn't split up for the time being."

She shrugged. "We have time. Not much, but we do."

"Good." I sighed. "I'm going to go talk to Fang, are you two going back to bed?"

"Definitely," they said, but I didn't know whether to believe them or not. I left the bathroom and found Fang sitting on my bed, his head in his hands. A dirty washcloth was on the nightstand, so I guessed that he must have cleaned himself up. Ten and Eleven were fast asleep; a light was on in the small kitchen, probably to soothe Eleven's fear of the dark.

I sat beside Fang and leaned into him. "You alright?" He glared at me. I bit my lip. "Out loud?" I asked hopefully.

"I'm_ not_ alright. I don't know what I did to deserve this shiner, and I don't know what I might do in the future. I scared the living daylights out of my_ kids,_ and for all I know I'm going insane. Hell. I have a homicidal _rapist_ for a split personality!" He kept his voice low, but the last phrase had a vicious edge to it.

I squeezed his scarred hands, which were curled into tight fists, as I tried to calm him. "First of all," I began, "your kids are fine. They wanted you to tuck them in, didn't they? They aren't scared of _you_. Beta isn't you, and Beta's the one that deserved the shiner. I'm sorry your stuck with it. You're not insane either. And he's not a homicidal rapist." I smiled slightly. "Does it appease you any if I say that Beta's just a sexist pig?"

"No, no it doesn't," Fang said.

I sighed. "Look, Fang. It's not going to get any better if you hate yourself for it. In fact, it might even make it worse and let Beta pick away at you and catch you off guard. So stop it." When he didn't answer I wrapped my arms around him._ "Promise_ me you'll stop it."

He didn't answer this time, either.

I waited a while, but after realizing he wouldn't answer me I changed the topic. "How were the boys?"

"Fine," he sighed. "Too good."

I hesitated. "Angel says I'll have to leave with them eventually. I'm supposed to go find Lucifer and go to the government..."

Fang nodded. "I know."

"Wait, you heard us?"

"No," he said. "I've known for a while." He paused, and then he plowed on. "Angel saw something like this a while ago. Back after my first Beta attack in California… She and Sable came up with a plan, working with what Angel had seen, and this was it. We didn't want to get anyone all worked up about it, though, because that future might not have been. Now it _is,_ but before we couldn't be sure. So don't get mad at us."

I scowled. "I'm not mad...even though I'd have liked to know, but you know that. Do you have any more information about it or do I have it all?"

I felt his shoulders twitch and tense ever so slightly, only just enough as to be perceptible. "Other than the fact that I'll miss you like Hell, no, nothing." He was hiding something.

I sat up a bit to glare at him. "What is it?"

He sat up as well and turned to me, his eyes—still red from earlier—glinting in the darkness. He matched me eye for eye, but he wasn't angry, and he wasn't sad either. He was resigned to something. "Max, if I said there was a good chance I might die, what would you do?"

I gave him a long steady look before looking down at my knees and leaning back against him. "If you died, I'd have to kill you."

"I was afraid of that," he sighed

I smiled as best I could. "You better be."

* * *

The next few weeks were filled with aimless flying. Angel had advised that we head northeast, and although it was into what I considered a no-fly ITEX hot spot, I listened to her. From what Fang had told me, and from the changes I'd witnessed in her behavior, something had made Angel grow up quickly. She was what...eleven? Twelve? If she was actually older than I thought, like she had told me many times before, then she was...almost thirteen now. Hadn't I been that age when I first began taking control of the flock?

Perhaps she was becoming more like I had been--stubborn, obstinate in her ways and doing what she thought was best for us even if it was dangerous... These changes were some that I found myself unwilling to see in my baby.

"I'm not your baby anymore, Max," she said softly one evening as we set up camp. "I'll always be your favorite...but you have _real_ babies now. Focus on them, and let me handle the rest."

I didn't like the thought of not being the leader, but she was right; I did need to focus on the kids. They were starved for attention it seemed, and begged for it nearly every waking moment of the day. I didn't particularly like it, but I allowed Angel to pick our course. She was right; she wasn't my baby anymore. She had changed. For better or worse only time could tell, but for now I would listen to and trust her.

Even though I tried not to, as we flew I couldn't help but worry about things. I spent many of my nights worrying over what Fang had told me. _What if he did die? What would I do without him? _These thoughts plagued me as I sat up on watch, staring out at the darkness. A world without Fang was a reality that I couldn't grasp, and didn't want to. Nevertheless, the more I thought about a future where I was alone, the more I felt the urges to interact with him--no matter how silly that interaction was. I felt guilty for the blatant attention-seeking, but I couldn't help it.

When Fang came to relieve me of my guard duty, I would sit with him and we would talk--or, really, I would talk and he would laugh at my snarking. Sometimes we'd post on the blog for the others back home--_home_ being in Colorado, with Ana and them--and increasingly, I found myself saying or doing things just to get Fang to look at me a certain way, or to laugh, or to speak. Some part of me realized that this was so I could ingrain the moments into my mind, just in case my nightmare was forced upon me. I think Fang realized that as well, but if he did he never told me. He allowed himself to laugh and to talk for longer periods of time than before, spending more time one-on-one with me than we had in a while, and he seemed to put his all into entertaining the boys with me.

The boys were a joy and huge distractions. Eleven was able to fly very well once he'd had some time to practice and strengthen his muscles, and Ten was learning quicker now that his brother was here to compete with him. Eleven would alternate between flying by Trinity and asking him so many questions, to flying by whichever parent held his brother, or by Ten when he would fly shakily on his own.

Although he didn't talk as much as Ten did, and wasn't as openly enthusiastic about things as Ten was, he was still lighthearted and full of energy. When he did talk, he would talk quickly—almost too fast for you to comprehend. I felt bad for Trinity, but he seemed to be enjoying the attention. Every once in a while I'd catch Trinity and Eleven looking at Fang, and even though they thought they were being sneaky it would break my heart. When Ten noticed my frown he snuggled closer to me. "Hey, Dad! Do you have any more gummy bears?"

Fang tossed a pack up at him, and Ten caught it; then he threw it back, hard as he could. Fang dove after it, spun onto his back as he flung it back up to us, and then twisted back into his normal flying position. Ten nearly fell off my back trying to catch it.

I snatched it from him and tossed it to Trin, who passed it to Eleven. Eleven grinned at me and at the encouragements of Ten threw it back at Fang.

Fang pretended to let it slip through his fingers, and we watched it fall a bit. Then Eleven dove past Fang, tucking in his wings and twirling giddily towards it. Fang began to race him, and Ten whooped. Eleven shot a bit too far and Fang beat him to the gummy bears, only to pretend to fumble with them an lose them again. A triumphant Eleven came back to us with gummy bears in hand and tossed them to Ten.

Ten opened the bag and dumped some into his mouth, then handed them back to Eleven for him to eat the rest. Eleven beamed at e as he bit the head off of one and the rear of another and shoved them together. "Look! It's Frankenstein!" They laughed maniacally.

"Remember 'Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs'?" I asked Fang. He snorted.

"How could I forget the guy inside a giant chicken body? And all the Indiana Jones and 'Independence Day' references?"

Ten grinned. "Dad! Dad, can we watch that sometime?"

Fang forced a smile. "Sure."

Ten nodded seriously. "Good. We'll need lots and lots more gummy bears."

Angel, Trin and I laughed and agreed heartily. The day was passing by swiftly, and the sun was beginning to set behind our backs. All of us were tired, but our spirits were riding high and I figured we could keep flying for maybe another hour or so before settling down for the night. I was about to tell the others this when suddenly, Angel tucked in her wings and spun to her right; the familiar whistling buzz of a bullet reached my ears, and I saw something glint as it shot through the air above us.

I spread my wings and used all the speed I had to evade the shots of whoever was down below us as I scanned the ground below for them; to my horror, I saw that there was a small helicopter hidden behind a rocky outcropping. We hadn't seen it before we'd gotten within shooting distance, and now it was too late. "Eleven, stick close!" I shouted, and went hurtling off. Eleven kept up easily; Trinity, Angel and Fang were in hot pursuit.  
_  
Max, duck!_

I did so, but I felt the bullet graze my cheek. It took a few moments for the pain to kick in, and then I could feel the blood dripping down my face. I looked behind me and saw that the others were slowing, having to perform barrel rolls and clumsy drops to evade similar injuries or worse.

And all of a sudden, I felt something smack into Ten. He jerked slightly, and then with a scream that was more fear than pain his hands loosened from around me and he began to plummet. Fang was there even before I could begin to dive. His eyes were shining as he flew back up to fly with us, and Eleven was straining to catch up with them. "Ten!"

Fang handed Ten back to me, and I cradled him carefully. His wing had been pierced in a non-critical place but it was definitely painful. He was tearing up, and his breath was coming in short, hiccuping wheezes. I glanced at Fang, then at Angel, who was hurtling towards us with terror on her face. "MOVE!" she screamed, and smashed into my shoulder. I nearly dropped Ten but shot forward four or five feet. Fang wasn't as fast.

His gasp rang in my ears for what seemed like forever as he slowly began to fall, his wings still managing to catch him, only remaining open because the air was keeping them there. Fang's eyes had rolled back into his head, and I could see blood blossoming on his chest; his black shirt didn't show the blood for a moment, and then I realized his entire chest now seemed to be slick with dark stuff.

Without thinking I automatically dove after him, only for Angel to screech at me and yank me back mentally. She'd already sent Trinity before I had a chance to glare at her. "Come on, Max! We've got to get the boys away."

"But--" He had been _shot in the freaking chest! _"I have to--!"

"He'll be fine!" Angel shouted. "Go!" When I hesitated again, she exhaled loudly through her teeth, opened her eyes wide, and lunged at me. Her hands tangled in my hair and she began tugging forward.

"Ow, ow, ow! Alright!"

She let go, and Eleven, Angel and I flew as fast as we could out of there, leaving Trinity and Fang still plunging through the air towards the awaiting whitecoats, Grotesques, and Flyboys... I swallowed a lump of tears and tried to keep my breathing steady.

"He'll be fine," I told Ten, who was sobbing uncontrollably into my neck. "He'll be fine. He'll be fine..."

* * *

**Third POV**

Fang shot closer to the ground as his wings began to crumple together, not quite tucking to his back but beginning to fold; Fang's head turned towards the ground and he started to accelerate, sinking like a rock. Trinity had to dart forward and grab the back of his shirt to slow him down, attempting to pull them back up and away--but this only slowed their fall. Bullets still shot upwards, and the adrenaline spikes Trinity had whenever one whizzed past his ear or by Fang's face were going to give him a heart attack. Even so, it wasn't all that comforting that once the others were out of range the shots stopped firing.

Just as Fang's form hit the ground, Trinity caught sight of the Grotesques being held at bay; he began to try and pull his brother's body over his shoulder so that he could fly off, but not only was he forgetting that it was hard to fly with something large across your back, but also that you can't take off when there's a hurricane around you--or, in this case, a helicopter above you.

As soon as Trinity's wings snapped open he was thrown backwards and Fang went rolling across the ground, unable to move on his own. The scientists rushed forward and picked him up, carting him into one of their white vans--the doors had hardly closed before it shot off down the road.

Then the scientists turned to Trinity, who braced himself against the wind and pulled his wings in close to his body. He tried to stand tall as the Grotesques strained at their leashes, but the scientists waved the Flyboy Grotesque handlers away. One of them stepped out of the small cluster of white coats, smiling gently. "Come quietly," she urged. "It will be easier on both of you if you do."

He grimaced. "What choice is there?"

The woman's smile widened, revealing that all of her teeth were pointed. "None."

Trinity had never dealt with cat-girls before. Now that he was surrounded, he found himself wishing he never _would_ have to deal with them. He held up his hands, and allowed them to sweep him into another van. "Where are you taking him?" he asked as they strapped his arms and legs down, as the doors closed.

"A hospital," a scientist said, and injected him with something that began to make him feel woozy. His foggy mind began to panic. The van was too small, there were enemies in the area, why the _hell_ was he just allowing himself to be caught like this? He had children to protect, a wife to live for, he couldn't do this, he couldn't! ...But he had to...he had to... His eyes had begun to shut when he heard a familiar voice speaking in the distance. It came softly, as if over a phone...

_"You have both of them?"_

"Both Alpha and Beta, yes."

"_Oh goodie! I'll be flying over as soon as I can! Reserve them for me, will you?"_

Trinity knew he should remember that voice, but his mind was numb. His eyes closed all the way, and everything faded from his mind.

_"I can't wait to see Trinity again. I wonder if he'll remember me?"_


	49. Chapter 46: Burning

**PART THREE:**

**  
Chapter One:**

**Burning**

* * *

"We're having dinner tonight, Dom," Sable said from the doorway. She'd thinned over the past year due to the rationing, and the stress she'd been under organizing the Family and the 'Railroad to Resistance'--all of them had become more gaunt, more grim. Even the normally chipper Bethany had less of a spring in her step.

Dominic nodded vigorously. Dinner had become a rare thing in this household. Ever since Sable's parents and siblings had moved to another house across the city to meet the new home-occupancy limit there had been less food, and less _time_ to cook it. Dom had gotten a job at a small bookstore downtown, and the Fallen had hired themselves out to mow lawns and help people pack, just to get some more money for their little family in Sable's house.

And people _were_ packing, high-tailing it out to the cities that were openly protected by the Fallen, where ITEX had been forced out and the people had found safety. Some people were even leaving the country, although it was hard to make it through 'security' now that the guards were all loyal ITEX employees.

But it was good money, helping pack and transport things, and Dom's job at the bookstore paid well enough. They'd been saving, since last Christmas, and this was probably the first dinner since then.

So it came as no surprise when Dominic beamed up at Sable and asked if he could invite Holly over.

"Good idea," Sable agreed. "But if you fly out, she has to drive you back."

He shrugged and nodded, picking up his coat. As he passed Beth in the hall he ruffled her curls. _"Any news?" _he asked.

"Still no word from Trin or Fang," she said mournfully. "Max is still trying to pinpoint where Luce is, but she, Eleven, Ten, and Angel are doing fine. Feeling like crap, but fine."

Dominic's face betrayed nothing towards how disappointed he was at the report. It was the same thing as last time he'd asked. Sighing, he opened the front door and called, _"I'll be back in about an hour, don't start without me!"_

"No promises!" one of the Fallen shouted, laughing. Dominic cracked a smile as he closed the door behind him and headed out to the safe takeoff point, located in the middle of the woods along the local creek trail. There weren't many hikers out nowadays and there weren't enough ITEX interns to patrol the path, so the trail itself was completely devoid of human life on most days.

Dom found it empty, as usual, and after putting on his jacket and freeing his wings he took off. Soon he was on his way to Holly's house, looking forward to her kisses and a large meal once they got back to his place... But although he smiled while he flew, as night began to fall a sense of urgency and dread crept into his mind...

* * *

Dom could smell the death at three miles. The scent of burning hair, flesh, and houses was all too familiar. Burned bodies from his time at ITEX. The smell of houses was the same as ITEX buildings exploding into flame, except there were more pleasant smells mixed in to the charred wood and things.

He'd always been sickened by the thought of people being burned; always loved it when the big blue I.T.E.X. signs crashed into the awaiting inferno. But this combination of bodies and buildings filled his mind with fear, an icy dread that threatened to paralyze him. A feeling of desperate, lonely helplessness that he'd only felt once before, and still had echoes and relapses of in his nightmares, was beginning to take its hold in his heart. His breath quickened, and his heart began to race...

At one mile, he tilted his body, drew in his wings half-way, and dove down towards the raging flames like a torpedo. The heat curled his hair and feathers, the smoke made it hard to breathe, and every single instinct in him was telling him to run. But he fought the instincts because somewhere, there was a tiny body with long dark hair that was being burnt. His feet hit a patch of rocky ground that wasn't on fire, and he turned in a circle, trying to orient himself.

He let out a trilling scream, but it was nothing more than a trapped bird's cry. No words, nothing except an urgent question mark. _WHERE? _More than anything, he wished he could speak, scream her name and call out--

"HELP!"

The voice was faint, but it was edged with pain. The fact that he could hear that much detail told him that she was close. He plunged through the fire, going through it too fast to catch, to feel the searing pain. The smell of hair, blood, and flesh being burned was overwhelming now, she was somewhere close, somewhere behind the wall of fire. Keep running, keep running... He found her in only a few seconds, and quickly scooped her out of the wreckage. She was too light. Her hair was still burning, her clothes...

And then they were out, and he was putting her on the ground and shaking out his own clothes and stamping out the fire on her, and he was desperately trying to keep back tears. He knew he couldn't do anything now, Oh God, he wished he could talk to her... She couldn't even open her eyes. Everything about her was torn, ripped, chewed up by monstrous teeth. Everything that wasn't eaten away—and even parts of her that _were—_were burnt to a crisp. She was practically bald; what was left of her hair was so charred that it fell apart in his hands as he stroked it, trying to keep it together and touch her at the same time...

Her throat was working to try and form words, but she gave up with a dry, rasping sob. Words that neither of them could speak flew into the night air with the howling screams of fire engine sirens. _"Please don't die," _Dom warbled, his falcon's voice quaking too much. _"Don't leave me..." _He really meant something else, another three words, but each time he tried, it came out wrong. He wanted to bury his face in her chest, her hair, her skin... But he didn't want to hurt her, didn't want to touch the burns, didn't want to touch her disgusting, ruined body. He felt guilty for it, but it was true, and it made him feel even more helpless than before.  
_  
_"Zach..." she whispered. "Luce...save...Sable_...don't..."__  
__  
__"I won't let this happen to them," _he agreed, voice breaking so much that he was hardly audible. But she knew, even through the pain and the fear and the fuzziness, that he would take care of things... She knew..._  
__  
__"I--"__  
__  
_"M'too." The crisp, flaking hand that clutched his tightened once, and then it was gone. She was gone, carried away from him by the sparks, the bright sparks that disappeared out of view on their journey to the Heavens... Out of view, out of sight... Dominic let out a piercing scream and buried his face in his hands.

By the time the fire engines got there, the shaking had stopped but the tears streamed on down his face. Numbly, he had stood and begun running, staggering almost drunkenly, and whenever he'd jumped he'd landed back on the ground and a new sob had been dragged from his throat. It seemed that she'd taken his very ability to fly, every one of his muscles had disappeared when her life had, they'd been turned to Jell-O...

As the voices approached, some voices being the firefighters' and some being whispers and shouts in his own mind, he tried to stand._ He had to go...before they saw him...flee... Just run... Just run away..._

The firefighters found him on the ground, his hands knotted in his hair and his wings splayed out about him, a keening whine emanating from his very core.

They bundled him into a blanket and put him in the car with one of the doctors; they knew about the bird kids. The old, ex-mayor had told them years ago about them, and about the one who couldn't speak anything but bird, but could write well... They tried to get this young man to tell them what had happened, to tell them if he was alright, but his hand wouldn't wrap around the pen and he couldn't stop crying. The EMT held him still while his partner called in that there were no visible living people, that he doubted anyone had survived if there were people inside the dying blaze, and that they hadn't found anyone on the land. All of them knew they had to lie, for this poor hybrid's sake.

* * *

Dom walked to the house on his own. Out of the back of one of the EMT's personal cars, then right across the street to Sable's side, his eyes staring unseeingly at the ground and his arms crossed over his stomach, his head not down, but certainly not up. His chin had none of the defiant edge that had been his signature, his eyes lacked the sly twinkle that betrayed how vast and eloquent his inner thoughts were from being kept silent for years and years...

Sable ran out the door as soon as she'd heard the car pull up, and she stopped a few feet away from Dominic. Her teeth tore at her lip and her nails dug into her palms in an attempt to refrain from hugging him. She could tell that he wouldn't feel it.

The EMT watched the seventeen year old with a dubious feeling. He opened his mouth to speak, but she beat him to it, saying, "Bedtime," softly, and reaching out for Dom's hand.

He offered no resistance as she pried his fingers from the crook of his elbow. For a moment, she closed her eyes, seemingly fighting back tears—her bleeding lip was trembling, and her dark brows drew together in a look that broke the MT's heart; like his daughter, when she tried to be a 'big girl' in a situation that she really didn't have to be... He watched as she rubbed her thumb across the back of Dom's hand.

"Come in," she said to the MT, and didn't bother to wait for his answer. She turned and began pulling Dominic along. He followed automatically, like one of those tug-a-duck toys from when they were little... He didn't miss the way the younger girl kept her back straight and her chin up, and the way her eyes fought to keep open when she pushed Dom through the door...

The shell of a boy stood in the hallway as the MT closed the door behind himself. Sable cast a forlorn glance at the family room where a group of red eyed teenagers, and a bushy haired young woman were watching them. "Make yourself at home. I'll be back in a moment, guys. Don't let anyone in."

The MT nodded and opened his mouth again, but he couldn't find the words. Her eyes met his for a fleeting second—knowledge, helplessness were reflected back at him, and an age that didn't suit her but _did_ at the same time—and then she was gone, her eyes on Dom's, and her hand tightening around his, with an arm around his waist, leading him down the hall to a ladder...

Dom climbed up easily, but there was no shimmy, no mock slip—he didn't even just grab the edge of the opening and pull himself up using his own upper body strength to show off. He stayed on the ladder until he was completely in the attic, and then he crawled in and stood there, staring at the floor, darkness surrounding him.

It was her job to take off his jacket and peel off his ruined shirt, and then pull the biggest, most comforting-smelling shirt she could find over his head. She handed him his PJ bottoms, the red flannel checkered ones that he wore, handed them to him without a word, not even glaring at him, or smirking at him, or giving him The Look; instead she just turned around hugged herself, not sure whether to expect him to do anything on his own or not...

But then she heard the creak of the floorboards and the rustle of clothing, and then his destroyed jeans were slid slowly across the floor to rest at her feet, folded, and the hand that touched her heel was shaking.

She turned and watched him as he, on hands and knees, dragged himself to his nest and collapsed, his wings limp beneath the T-shirt, making it bulge in an odd shape. His face was buried in a pillow, and his arms and legs were left where they'd been dropped; nothing moved except the barest hint of his lungs.

"Is it okay if I leave?" she managed, still keeping the tears out of her voice.

A hand twitched. No scream of, "NO!" or a, "Don't leave." Not even a nod.

"Don't kill yourself," she said as sternly as she could muster. It came out watery, raspy, and incredibly pathetic. She didn't even get a twitch in reply before she was back down the ladder, trying to keep her knees from giving away... "Any idea what happened?" she asked, coming into the living room, chin high and fists clenched on the hem of her shirt. The others hadn't moved or spoken, but Beth had tears in her eyes.

"We couldn't get a word out of him," the man said hesitantly. "He just wouldn't stop crying... When we pulled up, I could see him trying to take off, but he kept crashing, and when we actually found him, he wouldn't stop crying..."

Sable sat down on the rocking chair beside the sofa where Beth sat silently, and Sable pulled her legs up beneath herself. She gripped her calves and hung her head for a moment, before looking up and nodding. "That was my cousin's house. They were dating... Did you...find...anything...?"

The EMT looked at his hands. "I don't know. I left before they'd even begun looking... I don't think so."

"Dom doesn't cry over just a house burning down," Sable said wearily. "Wouldn't be catatonic... She's gone."

One of the Fallen moved over to Sable and placed his arms around her neck, and she put an arm around his back to pat his shoulder. "I'm fine," she said, "it's Dom that needs the comfort. You guys go spread the word that there's been an attack and Dom will be out of commission till I say he's better."

None of the Fallen looked like they wanted to leave, but when Sable made to stand and berate them for hesitating, they agreed and left the room. A few moments later the door opened and closed, and locked. None of the three in the room spoke. They were silent for a long while.

Eventually, the rocking chair creaked. "Thank you for bringing him home."

"Is it just you three and those boys here?"

"Not really. The others just split up—most of them went to Colorado. My parents are at a...safer place, but I have to man the fort, y'know, keep it open, a home for Dom and the boys and anyone else... But some of the others come by every afternoon, some of them stay in the evening, stay the night... Like Nudge sometimes, when she manages to get permission, and Mason and Bella and Lily..."

"Adults?"

"Mason and Bella are in their...oh, late twenties to thirties now. Doctor Martinez is like, forty or something. I dunno. And Beth here is legally an adult."

"But you're on your own for the rest of the day? Beth, Dom and you?"

"Look. I'm not going to get shipped off to anywhere other than here. I run an extremely dangerous business, but it's worth it. And if anyone else gets in the way, lives will be lost. We're all these people have--"

"People like Dominic."

Sable's face shifted, became pained. She nodded. "Some are worse. A million times worse... Ha, nothing can beat when I helped Ana deliver Nick and Anna Marie, though." A wistful smile flitted across her face before dying into a fading expression of vague sadness; almost worse than the crumpling inner agony that had spilled across her features just a second before. The MT decided to change the subject.

"You should know some things to watch out for," he began tentatively. "Keep him away from knives, anything sharp... Anything he could use to..."

"I'm going to keep him in T-shirts, shorts, his boxers if I have to. I'll keep a leash on him. I'll sleep up there so I know if he tries...anything..." Her voice wavered, but then kept strong. "But he won't _do _anything."

"That's what I'm afraid of," the EMT said, thinking of the way Dominic had just stood there, staring vacantly, the reflection of fire in his eyes but no fire behind them. "There are three main categories of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder--"

"I've done my research," she said gently. "When you run a home for people who have been abused, tortured, raped, and are thrown into such traumatic situations on more than a daily basis... You have to know how to deal with it."

"Tell me about it, then."

"Re-living is when they remember it, go through it, have flashbacks, hallucinations, nightmares... Distress over things that remind them of it. Avoiding is when they avoid the situations and things that remind them. They tend to use drugs or drinking to try and avoid the pain. And then they have excessive emotions, they can't sleep, can't feel or show affection... Being jumpy... Then there's the physical symptoms...

"The treatments are psychotherapy and medication, and that's about it. Neither of which work for any of the people I work with." She laced her fingers together and cracked her knuckles. "The drugs don't work on 'em, 'cause they're immune to them. They've built up such a resistance to every type of drug and chemical that the people have to use heavy duty tranquilizers to control them... And the psychologists and therapists and them... They scare people like Dom. Anyone like that. The questions, the processes. Even if they know the people are trying to help... It won't work.

"The most we can do is just be there for them. Keep them alive. Hug them, hold them, laugh and smile and bring them along with us. And it works. Trinity and KIX and Iggy and all of them are the most hilarious people I know, and they're strong, and full of life and happiness. Trinity has nightmares. KIX cries at night. Iggy—I don't know him well enough, but they ruined his eyes. He has to have some PTSD... They're strong for each other. No one ever has to be strong for themselves. More often than not, they show me up in their personal strength, leave me behind. I'm the ant to their Empire State Building.

"But we're still there. We still put on the face, just in case they happen to need _us_. And Dom needs me right now. He needs all of us, but Beth and I are the only ones who can really help him—it's true. Everyone else is gone, and Mason, Bella, everyone close by has others to worry about, like Lily."

"Not all of _us_ are evil," the MT found himself saying desperately. "We're always here—"

She shook her head with a small smile. "I know," she said. "One of my best friends is a forty year old psychologist. Another is a... I forget what he is, some sort of doctor..." She lost the smile and rubbed her hand over her face. "They've tried. Dominic still wakes up in the middle of the night... I'm always there. I'm the one who's strong for him, and he's strong for me. Beth and I don't mind having to do this for him, and we're going to pull through."

"He's strong for you when you're in need of help, but that's when _he's able_ to be strong," the MT countered. "What about when you're tired of being strong, but you still have to be? Who's there for you girls?"

"Trinity, usually. My dad, every second of every day. But they're not here right now, and it doesn't matter how tired I am. This is what I signed up for." She folded her hands back in her lap, and he realized that her shoulders were held back and her chin had lowered. She regarded him with a weary, but passionate gaze. "I love these people. They are parts of me. And when you love someone, you'll do anything. Nothing romantic. Nothing fuzzy. Real love is the tough stuff. Dad always used the example of if Mom went veggie on him, he'd wipe the drool from her face and take care of every little thing, no matter how vile. Because he loved her. I'd do the same for Beth, I'd do the same for Dom.

"And look at him. Don't lie to me—you're not like that. Dom's not himself, that part of him got locked away as soon as her soul left her body. He's effectively a veggie, at least for now. And he's going to find the key to himself and unlock his soul soon enough, but until then we'll be there. I'm still going back up there, I'm going to wipe his butt for him if he won't do it himself. I don't need anyone to be strong for me when I'm being strong for someone, because this is how I _make_ myself strong." She smiled dazzlingly. "Want some coffee? Soda? Water?"

He stared at her, wondering if she was insane. Before he could reply, his cell phone went off. He missed the falter in her smile that appeared as he checked the text; her facade was back when he looked up. "I've actually got to go," he said. "But I'll be back soon. And if you ever need any help, here's my number."

"But—"

"Not as a professional," he said firmly. "As a friend."

She bit her lip, still managing to smile slightly. A bit more genuinely this time. "Thank you..."

"Edmund Whimsey."

She blinked, frowned, and then nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Whimsey." She showed him to the door and shook his hand. "I'll call you at the first sign of more trouble," she said, adding the 'more' a bit wryly. They were already past the first sign of just 'trouble'...

Edmund noted that there was no mock seriousness in her voice when she told him she'd call if she needed to. He had a feeling that she would.

She was a good woman. The title suited her better than "girl", "teenager", or "person". She wasn't just any of those. She wasn't just a "woman", either, but it implied the certain maturity, responsibility, and caring heart that she obviously had. He nodded at her, and found himself flinging a prayer to whatever deity would care to listen and watch out for the girl.

She watched him from the doorway until he got into his car, and then she pulled the metal screen door closed, locked it, and then closed the last door. Once she'd done that, he pulled out his wallet and looked at the picture there...

A tiny little girl with brown curls and dark, dark eyes smiled up at him. She'd be what, seven now? Eight? Younger than that Angel who'd fed him the information he'd wanted so badly, about how his little girl was strong, and was going to save her brother, and all of them...

He hoped that she'd meet Sable, and wished that Sable had been his daughter, instead of his oldest son...

* * *

Beth hugged Sable as the younger girl sat down on the sofa beside her.

"Hey, Sissy."

Sable nodded. "Hey."

Beth drummed her fingers. "How are you?"

"I'll get back to you. How're you?"

"Same response, plus I asked first."

Sable managed to smile, but it was twisted and wet, and disappeared from her face quickly. Her lips began to tremble. "I'm going... I'm going up to see if he's okay," she rasped, but Beth caught her wrist.

"You can't go up there like this," Beth said, voicing both of their thoughts. "Stay down here a while." Sable nodded and let Beth hug her again, pulling her closer as she broke down. "Hey, Sissy, hey…" Beth smiled uneasily and rubbed Sabe's back. "Smilin' isn't easy all the time..."

"I know, I know," Sable gasped, and sniffled miserably without saying anything else. Neither of them spoke again for a while, as Beth rubbed her friend's back and smoothed back her hair. Finally, Sable pulled away and wiped at her face. "I don't want to do this, D," she whispered.

Beth squeezed her hand. "No one does," she said. "But we have to."

* * *

Sable lowered herself down in the corner, hunched over from the angle of the ceiling, and she drew her knees up. Her hands dangled between them, just above the floor. Her hair fell forward as she leaned her cheek against one of her knees, and then adjusted her left arm so that it was on the outside of her leg, so she could hold herself in the position. So uncomfortable, maybe she'd stay awake...

He wasn't snoring, wasn't breathing low and slow with a slight little whistle like he would have if he was asleep. But he wasn't screaming, or crying, or sobbing, or even shaking.

He just _was._

She closed her eyes and bit her lip. She knew she had a right to cry because, after all, it was her close cousin who had just been killed. It was her best friend who was in a catatonic state, possibly thinking of killing himself...

She touched her thumbs together, just to keep her focused on the room, on the touch. _O_ God, _come to my assistance... O Lord, make haste to _help me...

It was fitting.

* * *

A tear or two had dripped from the bridge of her nose onto her clasped hands, but that was all. She'd drifted in and out of what wasn't quite sleep, but what was certainly not wakefulness. She was aware enough of the world around her to know that the attic was the perfect place to be in such weather, the house below was empty and secure, it was late, the house was bright downstairs, it was dark in the attic, and that Dom still hadn't moved.

And then suddenly he stirred. She didn't move, didn't even pay attention. If she did, maybe she'd wake up and it'd just have been a dream. She just breathed in and out, and repeated the same prayer over and over, not bothering to move on to the rest of the chaplet, but just repeating the desperate plea to God...

Then the hands touched her, and she was pulled into his lap, legs on either side of him and his face buried in her shoulder, his arms around her back. He was warm, and he was gentle, but there was an iciness that radiated from him just as a scream would have, and his hands on her back were firm, keeping her there.

"I'm not leaving," she said gently into his ear, smoothing back his hair. "I'll be here for you no matter what. We're doing this together."

He pulled both of them back to his nest, and she pried his fingers off of her for a moment so that she could arrange the pillows and the blankets. She got up so that she could make sure the entrance to the attic was locked and secured; then she lay back down and pulled the blankets over him. Step one: Keep him warm.

Step two: Keep him loved.

She let him wrap his arms around her and tangle their legs together, like he had when he was nine and she was seven and they'd gotten lost in the woods at night, and both of them were scared and in tears. She held him just as tightly as he held her.

The tears came after a while. They soaked her hair and her shoulder, and the biting sobs were muffled somewhere between her sleeve and the pillow, which he'd clench in his teeth; his fists would ball up, and his entire body would stiffen with the effort to keep the agony in. But it proved a futile effort, each and every time, when the sobs ripped out of him and he broke down again...

She held him tightly, and she didn't say anything. There was nothing she could say to make him better. When he fell asleep, she pulled his hands off of her and put a dry pillow under his tear-streaked face, which she stroked with the back of her hand until it was dry.

Only when there was nothing else she could do, did she curl up in his sleeping embrace and begin praying again.

She prayed herself to sleep, while he'd cried himself into unconsciousness.

* * *

Dominic remained absolutely silent throughout the days that passed. At night, he would cry his heart out into both Sable's and Beth's shoulders, whoever was up to staying up with him that night. He showed no signs of recovery, no matter how hard the girls tried, or how much they coaxed. Condolences poured in from all corners of the Family network, and once Sable had asked if he wanted to hear them; but Dominic had turned around and walked away and Sable never brought them up again.

There was no funeral for Holly and her family, but the belongings that were salvaged were given to her living relatives. Most of the things were small, like jewelry and other trinkets. It was sad that this was all they had to remember Holly by--but Sable gave everything she could manage to get to Dominic. He placed most of it in his backpack to keep safe, and sometimes he'd sit in the attic with them in his lap and run his fingers over them without seeing them. The only thing he kept with him the rest of the day was a necklace with a single metal feather on it that he'd given Holly once; it had been on her body when she died, the reports had said. He never wore it outside of his shirt, but his fingers often strayed to the place just above his heart where the pendant rested, pressing it closer to his skin.

He didn't look up when the girls joined him, or when they sat beside him and put a plate of food into his hands. "Don't be picky."

He began to eat, his eyes staring at the plate blankly. His eyes began to water as he ate, and Sable immediately put an arm around his shoulders and rested her head against him. Beth did the same on his other side, and he managed to keep the last of his composure as he continued eating. Soon the plate was empty; Sable took it from him and then sat back next to him.

"You need to come out of this," the girls told him, but he just closed his eyes and held his breath. Beth tugged at Dom's hair. "It's about time you got a haircut…" When he still didn't respond she looked at Sable and shrugged helplessly.

The girls gave him a haircut. They fed him. They forced him to take care of himself, and they watched, helplessly, as he did so robotically. But life went on, and time didn't wait for them to catch up. September came and threatened to pass without Dominic getting any better.

Finally, Sable snapped.

"You have to snap out of this, Dom!" she exclaimed one evening in the attic. "You can't just stay _empty_ forever! You have to _do_ something! It's been three months. If Holly had been in your position--if _I_ had been in your position--we would have understood this... But not for three months! You're wasting everything Holly gave you, Dom, and you need to stop!" She grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. "You're ruining your life, and Holly wouldn't have wanted that if she were here! And _she's not here,_ Dom, and I know that hurts but it's true--but something else that's true is that _we're_ here, and _we need you_. I need you. I need you to snap out of this."

Dom blinked at her. Beth scrummaged around until she found Twilight and held it up. "Don't make me use it," she warned.

Sable put her hands on her hips. "Come on, Dom. You need to speak. Go on a fly. Do something."

Dominic nodded slowly and cleared his throat experimentally. _"I...I think I'll go on a fly... I'm sorry."_ He held out a hand, and Sable helped him stand. She found herself pulled into an unexpected hug. His cheek pressed against hers, and he held her there against him for a few moments. Then he let go of her and hugged Beth, who was just as surprised as Sable.

Then he cracked a small smile and climbed out the window.

Sable gawked after him, and then her expression became furious. "It was _that easy?"_ she shrieked, and pulled at her hair in exasperation.

* * *

Dominic crept into the house and wasn't surprised to find that both Sable and Beth had fallen asleep in the attic waiting for him to come home. It was late, and it was dark; he let himself in quickly and quietly and began to pack his things. Once he had his backpack full, he searched for a piece of paper and a pen--then he began to write.

He knew it would be sloppy, and he probably wrote over himself a few times, but he knew he got the message across. He was leaving, he was going to find Lucifer and help Max kick ITEX out of the government, saving the entire world in the process. He was going to make sure that nobody--not Beth, not Max, not Sable--would have to go through what he had gone through... He loved Sable and Beth, and they better stay say or else. He thanked them for everything they'd done, and promised he wouldn't die. He'd see them again someday, but don't expect him to contact them soon...

He signed with his trademark scrawl and placed it in Sable's limp hands. He gazed at her outline, gray and dark and fuzzy in the night; and he leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. _"Thank you,"_ he whispered, and then patted Beth on the hair.

Dominic left home behind him, and began his search for Lucifer.


	50. Chapter 47, 48, 49, 50

_**Chapters 47, 48, 49, and 50

* * *

**_

Trinity groaned. He arched his back and stretched out his wings only to have them hit painfully against the clear walls of his box, causing him to hiss. He could see Fang also beginning to stir in his own display case, along with a few other experiments in their own. Fang and Trinity were the only winged ones in the large, dimly lit room; their wings were spread out and held in place by the thin confines of their boxes; tubes of oxygen were hooked across their faces, because the boxes were completely sealed off except for a small opening in the top for the oxygen tubes themselves. Trinity's arms and legs were held in place by shackles that he couldn't break; and as Fang began to thrash, dazed and fighting off vivid flashbacks, pain, and claustrophobia, it seemed there was a good reason.

Trinity concentrated as hard as he could. _Stop!_ he sent to Fang, _Stop. Safe._ He had tried to get his message more detailed and fine-tuned, possibly even worded--but simple, strong feelings were all he could manage, and the strong ones he had just pushed at his brother had left him panting for breath and blinking away spots in his vision.

Fang calmed down and tried to catch his breath, looking around the room they were in. It was like a theater, almost; with rows and rows of chairs spread out and up, with the hybrids in their containers in the center front on a raised platform. There was a microphone for where a person might stand and announce things while giving the people in the audience a clear view of what was on the stage. Fang's fuzzy mind managed to conclude that this was some sort of viewing, like an auction or something...

As they watched, people came in. Not so many people as to be the start of the program, but enough to check on the merchandise and make sure everything was in order before more people started arriving. A lazy scientist with her hair up in a bun stopped at a case a few yards away from Trinity to frown at the experiment there, turning to argue with her coworkers.

A single scientist wasn't involved in the process of checking and arguing, it seemed; she had long, bottle blond and waved hair that framed her round face and set off her green-contact wearing eyes. She slid up to Fang's case and smiled. Another scientist poked her in the back and pointed at Fang with his pencil and then to the experiment beside him. The lady answered him briefly and rolled her eyes at Fang once the other guy's back was turned.

She began mouthing things, and Fang was nodding along slowly, something dawning on him. _Freedom, wait, soon,_ he sent to Trin, looking over at his brother's case. The blond looked over at Trinity as well, and she smiled.

Trinity felt as if he was going to drown. _No. No. No. No. Danger. Wrong. Terrible. Wrong. No. Danger. No._ His emotions were wild and frantic, and although he didn't seem to be conscious of projecting them, Fang could pick them up easily. Fang frowned, confused, and Trinity shook his head vehemently, mouthing something that Fang couldn't make out.

The blond turned to smile at him again briefly, but this time he caught her attention and she held her gaze. Confusion crossed her face before she turned back to Fang and mouthed more words that Trin could not catch. Fang pushed more emotions at him. _Confused. Safe. Freedom. Wait._

_Urgh!_ Trin smacked his head against the glass and gritted his teeth. If only Fang could hear him, if only they could speak telepathically instead of this primitive emotion-grunting. _Urgh!_ Why couldn't it have been Zachary, for Christ's sake, not _her?_

A scientist glared at him through the glass, and he could see him checking '_hostile behavior_' on his clipboard; another white coat was tapping the glass and laughing as he showed off to is friends. All the while Fang kept trying to push emotions at him and the scientists slowly thinned. Each lab coat was glancing eagerly back at them and then at the clock before departing.

The blond scientist flashed five fingers at the hybrids, and Trinity understood that to mean five minutes till everything began. And indeed, five minutes later the room was quickly filling up. There were people in lab coats with different flags on their chests, and some in suits and ties looking very official. A man came up to the podium and tested the microphone. There was talking, a brief introduction, and then the first experiment was being placed beside the podium for all to have a better look.

"This is project Slytha-9, a cobra hybrid. Poisonous saliva and very large scare factor. Bidding begins at nine hundred. Do I have a nine hundred?"

So low? Trinity wondered. He'd heard of hybrids going for millions, if not _billions_ of dollars...

"Do I have nine-fifty? Yes? Good. Nine-ninety?"

Fang was pushing thoughts now, but making even more of a jumbled mess of it. Trin couldn't make out anything and shook his head at Fang, who slumped in his box and glared out at the world.

"Sold! Sold for $1500. Next up is project..." Hybrid after hybrid was sold, and then the assistants pushed Fang and Trinity's boxes forward. The bird kids made a set? That was original. "Alpha and Beta. Avian hybrids. Starting price is a quarter of a million each, a bargain. Do we have it?"

A number of hands were raised. "Yes! Half a million? Do we have half a million?"

Trinity's breathing deepened. What the heck was the 'blond' doing with half a million? She better be outbid. God, let her be outbid...

"Three quarters--yes! A million? Million, folks? Yes!

"A million and a--two million! Can we top that?

"Ladies and gentlemen, do I have a two and a half million?

_"Three million? _Do we have a three and a quarter million? ...Ladies and gentlemen, do we have a three and a quarter million? Might I remind you of what exactly the Alpha and Beta projects are, by having you turn to your brochures and looking under the 'Moore Collection'?" Papers rustled, and eyes widened.

"Three and a quarter here!"

"Four million!"

Four million. She must have been bidding with someone else's money, then, Trinity decided through a thick, adrenaline induced fog. And if she was, there was no way anyone could hope to beat her... Trinity knew he and Fang were as good as sold to _her_, and this was only prolonging the torture.

Trin and Fang sold for somewhere around two million a piece, then they were carted off in a blur to the back to be picked up when all the guests were done socializing. Soon the blond came out, a glass of white wine in hand and smiling a bit too sillily. She waved at the moving men and pointed to a large car, and Fang and Trin's boxes were rolled into the back of it. She clambered into the front, waving at the men cheerfully as they closed the doors, and then began to drive out of the facilities.

Of course they'd get stuck with a drunk driver.

Falling asleep in the cases wasn't pleasant or comfortable, but jut like always there was little else to do on the long ride. And it was a long, long ride indeed. Both of the boys were asleep by the time the car had parked, and only Trinity woke during the transfer from the van to the house. Fang was moved down the hallway ahead of him, but then disappeared from view as Trinity was rolled into a dark room, and propped against a wall.

His buyer smiled at him coyly.

"Hello, Trinity. Remember me?"

* * *

_Fang... Wake UP!_ Trinity projected as hard as he could.

It came out like a scream in Fang's mind, and a few rooms away Fang's eyes snapped open to find himself staring into the green contacts of Brigid. He smiled nervously and waved his fingers. She beamed at him as she let him loose, opening the sealed display case and the restraints. He stretched out his wings and relished the feeling of being able to move them fully again. "Thanks," he said gratefully. "Where's Trinity?"

"Is that your friend's name?" she asked. "He's off in the other room, having a check up. He had a sedative in his system that has a high risk of complications, so I just wanted to make sure he was alright."

"Yeah, Trin's his name... He's my brother," Fang said, rubbing feeling back into his lower legs. "How'd you find out where we were?"

"I've been keeping an eye out for things." She shrugged. "Tell me, how exactly did you wind up in the auction? The reports were vague."

Fang sat back up, and then a thought seemed to occur to him; he began patting down his chest and wincing ever so slightly. "I got shot," he said. "I was trying to get Max and them out and then I got shot..."

"Crap." Brigid scowled. "They were supposed to have treated you. How bad is it?" She tugged at his shirt. "Let me see how bad they butchered you."

He began to take off his shirt obligingly, revealing crisp white bandages. On the right side of his chest, towards his shoulder and collarbone, the white of the bandage had begun to turn pink. Brigid's hands strayed to his chest and Fang looked down to watch her, but she didn't try to pull the bandages off his skin. Instead, her fingers trailed against his collarbone. He shivered and took a step back. He remembered why he hadn't liked her all that much--she had the hots for him, even though she was seven-or-so years older than him. It seemed as if he'd forgotten that fact during her absence.

_This is awkward._

She smiled at him again. "It looks like they patched you up fine. There's nothing for Max to be exceptionally upset about."

Fang nodded and looked around. "So where are we?" he asked.

"My house," she said. "I hacked into ITEX and stole some of their money, so this and your guys'...'bail', let's call it, is all funded by them." She winked.

"That's cool." Fang leaned away from her. "When can we get Trin?"

"I'll go ask if he's awake," she said, and disappeared out the door. Fang went over to it and looked into the hall, but she wasn't there; there was no way to tell which room she'd gone into. He sighed and moved back into the room, heading over to the window and opening it--although there was a pane of wire meshing across the window behind the glass. He tested it, but couldn't push through. There went that escape plan...

The wind was sweet and clear, and there were no other people or signs of them in sight. No houses, no roads except for the dirt one leading to the house...nothing.

He felt his skin beginning to crawl.

She came back quickly and smiled pleasantly at him. "Trin's not ready yet, but you can see him later. He's fine, and it's not like he's going anywhere." She took another step closer to Fang. "Do you want me to check you over again? I could have missed something."

"Nah, I'm good." He took another step away. "Is there a phone?"

"Of course." She waved at him. "Come on, I'll show you." Brigid led him into the hall and into another room where there was a TV, a DVD collection, and a phone. Fang made a beeline for it and dialed the emergency number.

_"Fang? Fang, is that you?"_

"Yeah, it's me," Fang said. "Are you alright?"

_"We're fine," _Max said. _"I wasn't sure, Brigid said you were unconscious for a while, and it looked like you'd been hurt, but she didn't want to touch you while you were asleep. And Trinity was sick, too, so I couldn't ask him... I'm so glad you're alright."_

"Where do you want to meet up? When?"

_"I _want_ to meet up as soon as possible,"_ she said, _"but... I can't. Not now. We ran into a bit of trouble, and--it's really complicated."_

"Hm?"

_"I can't explain over a phone. I'm sorry, Fang. Could you stay with Brigid for a while?"_

"What? Max, we promised..."

_"Fang, I don't want to do this. You know how much I want to be with you. But I can't. Please don't ask me why."_

"Max..." Fang adjusted the phone against his cheek, and exhaled. Lowering his voice, he asked, "Max, how'd your meeting with Jackie go?"

_"It was fine, Fang. Really. Don't worry. I have to go now."  
_

"I love you."

_"Love you too."_

Fang hung up and put the phone back in its holster. "I have to stay here for a bit, 'till Max gives the okay. That fine with you?" Brigid nodded perhaps too happily. "Do you have like, a guest room, or's the couch okay?"

"No, no, I have a bunch of free space," she said quickly. "Come on, I'll show you." She led him out of the room and up a flight of stairs, finally pushing open a door and revealing a darkly decorated room with a single window. "We don't have internet," she said apologetically, "but we do have a TV in here. We just don't have a lot of channels. I don't really dare to use much else other than that, 'cause ITEX might pick it up."

Fang shrugged and nodded and yawned. The window had given him a glimpse of how dark it was, and it was a good excuse to get out of the awkward and all too eager to serve Brigid's presence. "I think I better crash," Fang said. "Healing takes a lot of energy."

"Of course!" Brigid practically ran out the door, but then she turned around. "The bathroom's just down the hall, it's labeled. Can't miss it. Just shout if you need anything. Night!"

"Night, Brigid."

He closed the door after her and locked it. For a few moments he stood there, staring down at the dark carpet beneath his feet and the little patch of light cast from the hall; the shadows moved after a while, without a sound, but he didn't relax.

_Damn, _he thought to himself as he turned and moved over to the bed. _God, Trin, I hope you're okay. _He couldn't feel any of Trin's thoughts or feelings, just an underlying buzz of an unconscious mind, no indication of whether he was in trouble or well or indeed sick like Max had said Brigid had said. He had no idea if Brigid was lying to him or not--and at the moment he wasn't sure if it was really Brigid. She sure _looked_ the same, sounded it...and it had been so long since he'd last seen her that he couldn't remember what her normal behavior would have been. But the way she was action now unnerved him. It always had, really, but now it was off the charts on the creepy-and-bordering-dangerously-weird scale.

Not to mention that phone call. Something was definitely wrong.

Fang sat down on the mattress, after having ripped all the sheets off in search of booby traps. There were none. He wished Trinity were there with him, at least. He'd never had to bust his way out of anything alone. He wasn't a leader, wasn't a problem solver--that was Max's job, and he liked it that way. It was easy to help the leader, it was easy to love the leader, support them. But it was a complete horse of a different color to actually lead. That one time back when they were younger and the flocks had split, it had been Hell for Fang to take the lead...

Of course, that didn't mean he couldn't.

Fang already had a plan, even.

And it was a good one.

**First step: **Figure out where in the world he was.

That part was probably the hardest. The windows revealed little to nothing about where they were other than the fact that the house was surrounded by trees and grass, except for on the west side of the house where there was a dirt road leading out of sight. After hours of sitting in bed with the Weather Channel on the TV in his room, muted, watching the closed captioning and the weather outside the window, Fang figured he was somewhere in northeast Ohio.

**Second: **Memorize 'Brigid's' schedule.

This next part was harder than say, figuring out that she was "Brigid" and not to be trusted, and harder than even figuring out who "Brigid" actually was. Within a week he had her schedule memorized, knew what her license plate was, and knew the phone number of the house he was in. He could have drawn a near mirror image of the house, a blueprint of the inside, and the view from every window there was to be found in there.

**Third: **Figure out what was going on.

This was a bit harder. He knew he was being held captive, he knew that Trinity most likely _wasn't_ sick and that he was probably being held against his will as well; he just didn't know why, or where, or why. Had he mentioned why?

It took time, but the bits and pieces of information that "Brigid" dropped every now and then helped tremendously. ITEX was hoping to experiment on either Trinity or Fang and needed them separated; they had to wait for something to happen before they went ahead with the experiment; they were being beaten to a bloody pulp all across the nation, and were trying to regain control of the citizens as best they could. Fang guessed that they were probably waiting to capture Max, Ten, or Eleven--or maybe just Jason and Angel--before they went ahead with the experimentation, and were being further held up by the rebellions they had on their hands.

**Fourth:** Keep track of the days.

The Weather Channel helped with this. It was late October.

**Five: **Stay fit.

He didn't have much room for it, but he did minor work outs when he could. Every night after he locked his door he turned off the light and practiced some of the sparring moves he used to use when fighting with Max, did push ups, and did some of the more strenuous karate stances that Sable had taught all of them during their stay. He ate what was given to him, and he was never idle.

**Six: **Don't slip up.

Fang was aware that "Brigid" was trying to weasel information out of _him._ He was pleasant enough, if his usual quiet and unhelpful self, regarding the issues of weather, cheerleaders, football, other sports, and food; he shut up when it came to his family, friends, and other mutants.

**Seven:** TOP SECRET

Contact Zachary Moore. While retaining all dignity and pride, beg for help.

**Eight:** Don't be disappointed when he says it will take time.

The plan was executed flawlessly, except for stage Eight.

* * *

_Trinity was rolled into a dark, windowless room without Fang, and propped against a wall. The door through which his buyer followed after him had no knobs or handholds on the inside, and seemed to be reinforced. No escape there._

_Trinity watched his buyer as she pranced inside, removing her wig and taking out her contacts. He showed no surprise; he'd known all along who she was. This thrilled her. She smiled at him coyly. "Hello, Trinity. Remember me?"_

_He didn't answer, instead watching her every move as she began to take the cover off of his case. His wings tucked in to his sides, and as soon as his arms were free he lunged forward as hard as he could and attacked. "Apparently you do!" She laughed as his hands circled around her throat--it faded quickly into a cough as he tightened his grip, with every intention of killing her._

_Trinity felt a sudden pain in his arm, and then his muscles went limp. Karen massaged her neck with one hand, raising the other to show off the now empty syringe. "I'm getting better," she said. "No fighting back this time." With a wink she moved out of his range of sight to unclasp his feet. He tried to kick her, but it was weak and he couldn't control it; she caught his foot and began removing his shoe._

_Panic surged through him as her fingers trailed across his lower leg, and he rolled over, scooting away as fast as he could using arms of Jell-O. She gave him her gentlest smile, following him until he was pinned between the wall, the floor, and her body. "Don't worry, Trinity," she whispered. "I'm not going to go _that_ far with you tonight." But she continued to approach until finally she was crouched down beside him and her fingers were brushing away his hair. "Just wanted to make sure that you were comfortable..."_

* * *

She'd come twice to 'make sure he was comfortable' and to tell him she 'wouldn't go _that_ far with him' that night. She actually came often, and each time she'd bring some food, obviously drugged--but every now and then he ate it anyway because he was starving--and she would sit and watch him with an odd look on her face. He knew the food was drugged because he'd pass out soon after he'd finished eating, and it made his mind feel numb and fuzzy; he couldn't feel Fang's consciousness even on a day when he refused the food.

He never spoke to her, and tried to block her out when _she_ talked, only listening when she mentioned how Fang thought that Trin was sick and contagious, and how there was no escaping, and no one knew where they were, not even Zachary Moore...

He lost track of the days that had passed but he knew that it had been at least one month. He tried, occasionally, to break out of the room, but there was indeed no escape. Sometimes he shouted for hours on end for someone to hear him, dammit, but no one was there to hear. He tried to contact Fang, but he was too drugged to think much.

He was beginning to grow too tired, too weak, too dazed to do anything other than lie around now. It was in this way Karen found him, lying spreadeagled and half-conscious in a corner of the room. She went to his side and knelt down, and he didn't fight her as she stroked his hair and his cheek; he did, however glare and mumble, "What the heck do you want now?"

"I just want to tell you what I'm going to do with your precious brother." She tucked a lock of hair behind his ear, trailing her fingers down his neck and enjoying him shiver. "My plan's finally coming to fruit. When you first came here, you two, when Fang was still asleep--they injected him with a special chemical," she purred. "It's been seeping through his system, very, very slowly. We've been watching it to make sure that it wouldn't kill him right away, because we wouldn't be able to activate it if he'd died, right? But I think we've waited long enough. We're activating it through his breakfast tomorrow morning.

"And you know what that chemical will do, once activated?" When she didn't receive an answer, she pouted but continued, "It'll loosen Beta, and by the time he wakes up completely there should be nearly no Fang left. Beta will have full control..." At the hatred in Trinity's eyes, she grinned at him. "Of course, the chemical might have serious side effects. It's experimental, you see. There's no sure way to test it on Beta without actually testing it _on _Beta. So I am. Zachary doesn't want me to, because it might make Fang and Beta fight too hard in their head and go insane. Beta might be severely weakened. They could simply waste away mentally and physically... And dearest Doctor Moore said that there's even a chance that he might _die._"

Trinity was beginning to regain movement in his arms again. He could make his fists curl, but couldn't raise them yet. In just a moment, he'd kill her. He'd find Fang... It didn't matter that he hadn't been able to escape before--he'd find a way _now._

"If Beta kills me out there," she was musing, "he'll never be able to save you. And no one can get into this room without the key to the lock--and only I have that." She smirked and patted his head. "I have to go now. But I'm leaving my little friend in here to watch you. Behave nicely, Trinity, or there's no telling what she'll do to you!" Karen attempted to kiss him, but he shoved her away. Luckily she didn't try harder and instead left the room.

A shadow separated from the darkness in the far corner of the room, and a pair of red-brown eyes met his. "Nice to see you again," a hoarse voice whispered.

He ignored Emma.

_Danger!_

* * *

Fang didn't sit bolt upright or jump out of bed; he didn't even fall out of bed or snap open his eyes. No gasp escaped his lips--his breaths came slow and even. Instead of panicking, he slowly opened his eyes, kept his breathing the steady pace of one asleep, and tried to remember what had woken him.

In his dream, he'd been flying with Max when Trinity had suddenly dropped in and punched him in the nose or something to that effect. He'd woken up just when Trinity shouted something angrily at him... But what had it been?

And more importantly, was it real or was it just a dream?

Fang pushed the sheets away from him and moved towards the door, keeping up the noises so that if anyone was listening with human ears at the door they would think he was still asleep. But when he reached the door, he found that there was no one out in the hall; it was morning, and the smell of cooking bacon and burned toast floated down toward him. He began walking in that direction.

"Morning," Brigid said cheerily from her place by the stove.

"Can I see him today?"

Brigid sighed and wiped her hands on a cloth hanging on the oven. "I'm sorry, Fang, but he's still not better. We're having the very best look at him. But he's gotten worse."

Fang didn't show his anger and frustration as he sat down at the table and accepted a plate of bacon, burned and buttered toast, and a glass of orange juice. As he lifted the glass to his lips, Brigid turned and busied herself with getting herself a plate of food. She didn't watch as he hesitated, sniffed at the juice, and grimaced.

Beta, who had been quite talkative in the back of his head lately, was completely enraged._ Poison!_ he hissed at Fang, and although Fang acknowledged Beta's worries he waved them off with a '_Part of my plan_. _You'll get your turn.'_

He downed the entire glass and moved on to his bacon. If he was about to die from whatever he'd just chugged, he might as well have some bacon before he bit the dust.

He had finished his bacon and was choking down his toast as best he could when he felt a sudden cramp in his stomach, as if he was going to start puking up his lungs again. But nothing ever came--instead, something like a fog rolled away from his mind, and a voice came clear and frantic and relieved into his head...

_FANG!_

He felt a sudden jolt in his skull and it seemed to rattle his very bones. Tears of pain sprang to his eyes, and he put a hand to his head. Brigid jumped forward. "Are you okay?" She sounded panicked enough to be sincere.

"I'm fine," he growled. "Get away from me."

"Whoa, Fang, your eyes are red! Are you sure you're okay?"

_Danger, danger,_ Trinity's mantra picked up again--it was faint and feeble as if he wasn't focused on it, but it was present. Beta, who was shifting behind Fang's consciousness, leapt at the sound. No matter how much Beta hated Alpha, and hate him he did, Beta still valued the fact that they were the same experiment, they were family, and that Trinity wasn't a threat to Beta's female.

Trinity was in danger at the moment, as was Fang; Beta fought to gain control. Another wave of pain went crashing through Fang's head, and for a moment he couldn't tell if it was him or Trinity who was hurt--the pain blurred the lines between their consciousnesses. More Beta than Fang at the moment, he stood and took a step, then stumbled as he lost control of his legs. His back met the wall. His knees gave way.

Brigid was there again, still not acknowledging personal boundaries. She was close, more watching him, now that he was ignoring her, than nice and pleading, and she was leaning over Fang as the fight raged on in his head and Trinity cried out for attention; and while his eyes seemed as if they couldn't decide whether or not to remain red. When it seemed that he was completely consumed by the chaos in his mind, she made her move. Sitting across him so that she was practically straddling him, eyes serious, she leaned forward slowly and caught his mouth in hers.

He growled at her from the back of his throat. This was Beta, and he was _not_ amused.

Beta grabbed Brigid roughly by the hair and not only yanked her and her searching lips away, but threw her away as well; the opposite reaction of how he'd acted with Max. Beta stood, ignoring Trinity's mental shouts and screams, and_--_

_--stared _at the laughing woman.

Brigid couldn't seem to keep her giggles in, as she sat up and wiped her manic eyes. Beta kicked her for good measure, and she let out a cry, but when she recovered she continued to giggle. Beta sneered at her and made for the door to the kitchen, ultimately planning to try every door until he found Trinity and leave.

The door was locked.

Of course.

Brigid's new round of laughter had tears coming to her eyes. Beta snarled at her, at the raging pheromones, at her maniacal laughter and her insanity, and at the fact that he didn't have enough strength in his arms to break down the door or to rip a hole in it. Whatever that drug was that unlocked him had weakened his body exponentially...

He turned and made to kill her, but she held up a small control-looking thing with little lights and monitors and shook her head wildly. "You won't kill me. You can't. I have your brother, don't I? If you kill me, this thing will die, and so will your brother. Even if you did manage to get passed this thing, you can't get to him without me!" She laughed. "You have to humor me."

"You bitch."

She beamed. "Oh, how sweet! I've been called that before. Ex-boyfriends." She stood. "You can join them, if you like." Beta rolled his eyes and dodged her seeking arms. "But first," she said, becoming a bit frustrated, "you have to go along and _be my boyfriend,_ first!"

Beta hissed, grabbing her arms and twisting them so that she couldn't move them, and he elbowed her in the chest enough to get her to lose her breath. "Stop _talking_." He searched for a frying pan to smack her over the head with, but it was nowhere in sight.

Brigid leaned forward and pressed every curve of hers against his body; his back hit the wall, and she managed to steal another kiss from him before he freed his hand and slapped her, then cuffed her over the head and kicked her legs out from under her--as much as he could muster at the moment.

"But you said stop talking!" she protested, giggling _again._

_I__s she impervious to pain or something?_ the part of his mind that was Fang wondered from behind Beta's eyes, and Beta agreed too much to shove Fang back.

Beta roared as she crawled towards him, and he kicked her again, and tried to get away. He'd made it to the door before she landed heavily on his back, pinning his arms beneath his chest as she straddled his back. He tried to roll over, only to have her roll with him and press out flat against his chest, her legs pinning his arms so that he couldn't move them. He tried to push his legs up to flip her off him, but she gave a little gasp of giddiness and clung to his neck.

He grabbed her hands and tried to pry her off. He'd succeeded in getting her arms away from his face, and was trying to get enough room to punch her, or elbow her, or move without getting his eyes poked out by long nails when then the door burst open and a complete stranger ran in, ripped Brigid off of him, and slapped her twice. Hard.

She hissed violently at him. "What do you think you're doing?"

The young man shook her shoulders. "Zachary effing _Moore_ is on his _way,_ and you're trying to rape Beta?"

She huffed. "It's not any of your business what I am or am not trying to do, you shouldn't interfere!"

"You told me too!" the man cried. "You told me to stop you!"

"I did not such thing!" She put her hands on her hips. Beta was quietly sneaking out the door, and had made it a good ten feet down the hall and had opened two doors by the time she noticed. "Don't bother, Fanglekins!" she called, her voice a mix of anger and amusement. "You won't find him!"

"You've forgotten to take your meds again, haven't you?" Beta's savior said. "No wonder. Come on, you need to--"

"I need no such thing!" She saw Beta rolling his eyes at her as he came back down the hall. "Stop that! I'll be back in a minute as soon as things are sorted through. Just wait, sweetie!"

She departed, and Beta found himself alone, locked in with this stranger who was staring after Brigid with a look of complete and utter hatred. "Excuse me," Beta said, Fang's consciousness managing to push through enough to be polite. "But do you--"

"No, I don't know where your brother is," he said shortly. "And my name's Dylan, and there's no way you can escape out that window, or break out of this place."

"Damn."

"You're stuck here until Moore comes. He'll probably get you out and take you away, and have a restraining order put on her. She's been asking for it, lately, the madwoman..."

* * *

Dylan had successfully talked Beta's ear off, and now Beta was considering killing _him_ too; just when he was about to sneak up behind Dylan and crack the guy's neck, an all too familiar man walked in.

Zachary Moore looked like death itself; his hair was a bit long now, and his eyes and face had hollowed out from stress, anxiety, and lack of sleep. He looked older than what would have been the prime of his life as a just-passed-twenty year old, and he had the world-weary eyes of an old man. His clothes seemed to hang off of him, and his lab coat's crisp whiteness only added to his sickly look.

Despite this, when he saw Beta making his way towards Dylan with murder in his eyes, Zachary's face twisted in anger--and when he lunged forward and grabbed Beta by a fistful of his feathers he proved that he still had some strength left

"Beta, come with me if you want your brother. Otherwise, go ahead, waste your time. But I don't know what's happening to Trinity, and I don't know if he'll survive if we wait." With that, Zachary let go of Beta and stalked out the door; the avian followed him in silence.

Half-way through their journey through the massive house, Beta suddenly collapsed. It had been without warning, and neither Beta nor Fang had felt the sudden looseness in the barrier between their minds. For a moment, both of them were in control; then Fang was there, and Beta simply wasn't.

It was startling. His knees gave way, and it took him a second to regain control of his legs. "Whoa," he said, rubbing his eyes. "What happened?" He could remember a fuzzy bit about bacon, orange juice, and Brigid-slash-Karen being impossible to kill, but the circumstances surrounding that he couldn't remember.

Zach frowned and thought to himself. "Do you often have memory loss after a Beta atta--" His eyes widened, and he grabbed Fang's arm, pushing his sleeve up. "Aw crap." Zachary's long fingers gently prodded the cotton that had been bandaged to Fang's inner arm a while ago. "They went ahead with the experiment. I_ told _them not to go ahead with the experiment..."

Fang jerked his arm back and pushed himself away from Zachary, standing warily. Zachary just looked at him, panic thinly disguised behind his eyes. Nervously, he said, "Um. Fang, I better tell this to you with Trinity around. Family and all. Um... Just follow me..." Zachary stopped awkwardly, then continued down the hall, putting his head in his hands and muttering to himself; he nearly ran into quite a few things, but then he stopped in front of a door and slid a key pass in front of a sensor. The door opened.

As soon as he saw what was happening, Fang rushed forward and threw Emma off of Trinity's prone form. Emma sat down where she'd landed, and stared at Zachary sulkily as he approached her. He was furious.

"She made me," she whispered, and pointed at her neck. Zachary knelt down and tipped her chin up to see that, indeed, there was a collar _attached to her skin._ There was no telling what it might do to her, or how. "Is she gone yet?"

"Off to the asylum," Zachary said. "But you need to get to the hospital." He picked her up and handed her to Dylan, who had followed them. "Get her to the ambulance outside." Dylan staggered even under Emma's light-weight, but left the room. Zachary then turned his attention on Fang and Trinity; the former was helping his brother sit up, and wiping some of the blood out of Trinity's mouth as Trinity tried to speak. "Karen said there was an injection--it might kill you, Fang. Make Beta get loose and...has side effects..."

"So she told you." Zachary put a hand to his head. "I'm sorry, Fang."

Fang looked up at Zachary, then back at Trinity. He set his jaw. "We need to get to Max," he said, but Zachary shook his head.

"There's nothing she could do. There is no cure, there is no reversal. It was an experimental drug. I'll have my team start working on the second batch we made to see if we can manufacture some way to cure you, but..." Zachary sighed. "Come on. The sooner we get out of this place, the better."

"Let's get this over with. You know we'll just escape later." Fang shrugged. "Do you want us to join Emma in the ambulance?"

"No," Zachary said. "You two are coming in my personal car."

Trinity stood. "Lead the way."

For a moment, as they left the house, the sun and the sky stretched above them and Fang considered flying away; then he looked at Trinity, who was limping his way along beside him, and he felt the pain in his own chest and he knew it would be a futile effort. Fang put an arm around Trinity's back and slung Trin's arm across his shoulders, and helped Trinity the rest of the way to the car.

"What did she do to you?" Fang asked softly.

"Beat the crud out of me, what's it look like?" Trinity rolled his eyes and eased himself into the back seat of Zachary's car. Fang sat next to him, and looked down at his hands for a moment. Then he glanced back at his brother.

"Not what I meant. Not her, Kar--"

Trinity glowered at the back of Zachary's chair. "No." _Escape?_ he queried sharply.

Fang winced and shook his head. _Not yet, _he thought to himself. _Soon though._ _I have to see Max before..._ He swallowed hard and leaned back, trying to slow his breathing.

Zach looked in the mirror back at them as they drove off. "I'm going to take you to my offices and check you over there myself. Get comfortable, it's quite a distance from here."

Trinity asked what Fang had been thinking. "Why're you being so nice?"

He snorted. "Don't ask."

Trinity grinned. "Why're you being so nice, Zachary? Why're you being so nice, Zachary? Why're you being so n--"

"Oh shut up. I'll drop you off on the side of the road and you can walk the rest of the way."

"Sounds good to me," the boys said, and Zachary locked the doors.

"Stupid mutant birds…"

"Those are my middle names, don't wear them out."

"I'm sure I've got a tranquilizer in here some were," Zachary warned

Fang's lips thinned. His mood had swung to a tentative 'we'll-behave' to a 'we'll-make-your-life-hell'. Unfortunately, short of breaking the window he couldn't think of anything. "What will you do to us after we've had our check-ups?" he asked.

"Frankly I don't give a damn. You can start having your escape attempts after you're taken care of."

Trinity's mouth dropped open, and for a moment nobody made a sound. Fang couldn't believe what he'd just heard, but eventually found his voice. _"What?"_

"What's changed?" Trinity asked. "I thought we were _your_ experiment, your 'life's work' and all that?"

"I mean, we're frickin' Alpha and Beta." Fang paused. "Not to sound full of ourselves."

Zach looked about ready to punch something. "That's not working so well anymore is it? It's all spiraled out of control. They're ruining my project with all their 'improvements' and 'suggestions.' There's hardly anything left of it! I won't let them ruin everything. The Fallen are gone, Karen's in charge of more than she should be, I had to go to friggin' ter Borcht…" His grip on the steering wheel was white-knuckled.

Trinity and Fang exchanged wary looks. Was it just them, or was _everyone_ going insane lately?

"Bonkers," Trinity agreed.

Zach glared at the road while turning on the radio and setting it to scan stations. "Tell me if you hear something you want to listen to and shut up."

They decided on a rock station, and obediently shut their mouths as they tried to come to terms with this half-way heel-face-turn. Not long afterward they were finding a space in an ITEX parking lot, and being left behind as Zach headed for the main doors. A few moments later Zach came back and beckoned them out of the car. "Clear path to my office. Follow me."

They traced the path from the doors to the office as they went, memorizing every turn and every corridor along with every window and vent they spotted. Years of practice along with every white washed TEX building being about the same made this easy feat. Zach pushed open the plain door with his name on it that led to his office.

"Take a seat," he said, gesturing to a couch in the corner. "I'll go get my medical supplies, I'll be right back."

Trin flopped on the couch as soon as Zach was out of site and began rubbing his jaw. "She can hit hard, like ticked-off-Ana hard."

Fang grinned. "Not quite pissed-off-Max hard, though, I'd imagine," he said.

"Psh. Max is a step below Ana."

"Nuh uh."

"Is too. Unless you add cookies into the mix."

"I'll grant you that," Fang said, and sat down beside Trinity. He lowered his voice. "How do you think we should do it?"

"When it comes to escaping, my preference is jumping out of windows since it's just plain cool. Also, we could probably make something up and get away with taking Zach's car."

"Anything but the car," the owner in question said as he came inside and shut the door, laden with a bag of medical supplies.

"You know that saying that makes me want to take it even more, right?"

Zachary smirked. "At least I have good insurance on it." After the check up, Zachary went to his computer and entered a few things. He sighed. "Last data points..." Then he turned back and gestured to Fang. "I'm sorry about this. I have no idea how to save you. I'll work as hard as I can...and I'll find a way, eventually, before it's too late."

Fang gritted his teeth. "Before I drop dead without any warning, you mean?"

"You'll have warning," Zachary said. "You don't have an expiration date, don't worry. But you'll have _plenty_ of warning."

"Well that sure helps a lot."

Zachary scowled. "Look, I'm trying. I don't want you to die, just as much as you don't--"

"You don't have kids."

"You don't have a brother."

"Or a girl friend."

"I have a sister." Zach rubbed his eyes. "Look, I'll try, alright? No one wants you to die, you should figure that out by now."

"I don't know, sometimes I wonder." Fang crossed his arms. "Are there any other hybrids here?"

Zachary shook his head. "Just offices. This is the paper-pusher office."

"Impressive. What happened to your lab?"

"Different building."

"Where's Emma?"

"Different building. I'm not lying; there really aren't any other experiments here. When you guys decide to do something everybody will just run around screaming at each other here." Zachary turned back to the computer. "Anything you need? Backpack? Laptop?"

"Some information would be nice," Trinity said. "What are the plans for Ten, Eleven, and my kids? Ten, we know was supposed to be a mini-Beta"

"Ten and Eleven were mostly just going to be used for bait," Zachary said. "Ten was, as you just guessed correctly, a test at inducing Beta-like qualities in another hybrid. Unfortunately it was a failure. Eleven was meant to be the 'control' of Fang-slash-Beta. He was going to be used as bait as well." Zachary turned to a file cabinet and unlocked the top drawer, pulling out a file set--it was maybe five inches thick. He fished around for a few seconds, then pulled out a flash drive. "These..." He took a breath. "This information is all that I'm qualified to know about the Angelus project, which is an ongoing experiment involving your parents, yourselves, and will include your children. I can't give it to you now, as I _must_ have another copy of it for myself so I can try to find a cure for you." Zachary nodded at Fang. "I'll send it to you as soon as I have the copy."

Trinity looked ready to protest, but Fang jumped at the opening and asked, "What about our mom?"

Zachary blinked. "Didn't she meet up with you?"

"She's been one step ahead of us this entire time. We haven't been able to find her, or Ana's mom."

"Why?" Trinity asked. "Haven't you heard anything? Something?"

The young doctor turned to his computer and typed a short input, but when he turned around he looked even more perplexed than before. "The last I heard," he said, "both your and Ana's mothers were running around messing with the Virus Project in the ITEX under New York."

_New York?_ The boys both put that down in their mental notebooks. "Virus Project--are they those zombies that attacked us earlier? The ones that were patients during that breakout a while ago?"

Zachary nodded, frowning. "Where are you getting this?" he demanded. "Who's the leak? Is there someone on the inside feeding you this information?"

But Fang and Trinity merely looked at each other and shrugged. "Just putting pieces together," Trin said.

"It was Sable, wasn't it," Zachary muttered. "Digging too deep. She'll get herself into trouble..." He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Look, I don't know much more. They've been cutting back on what I'm allowed to access, trying to get me to focus on certain projects and only those, overworking me... Beyond what I've told you now, I can't help you more. I'll send the files to Sable once I've got them, and I'll try my best to keep the Superiors from tailing you guys too hard, and I'll try to find that cure. Is there anything else?"

For a moment the boys were silent. Then they seemed to agree on something and Trinity put on a cheery smile. Fang's dark eyes had a forced twinkle in them. "I think we'll just leave now." Trinity stood, wincing ever so slightly as he put weight on a bruised leg. He tested his wings. "Nearest window?"

"Down the hall to your right. It's beside the vending machine."

Fang didn't even blink. "Are there gummy bears?"

"They have Sour Patch Kids. Why?"

"Souvenir for the kids," Fang said and stole a stray dollar off of Zachary's desk. "Ciao."

"Later. Shut the door on your way out."

As Fang and Trinity departed, Zachary turned back to his workspace. He pulled out another drawer in his file cabinet and reached inside; his fingers found a wooden surface, and for a moment he closed his eyes and tried to imagine what it might feel like to actually cry again. Maybe he would.

When he opened his eyes again and looked down at the framed photograph. There were four figures there--a man, a woman, a boy, and a bundled up baby girl. He stared at it, remembering the looks on Fang and Trinity's faces as they spoke of those they might be leaving behind at any given moment... He knew Trinity would cry, he knew Fang probably would too, if they lost Ana or Max, or their children...

He felt miserable as he stared at all he lost.

But Zachary didn't cry.

As he put the picture away and pushed the drawer shut, his eyes landed on another picture, this one attached to a thin file folder by a paper clip. He reached for it and flipped through, noting with a sense of despair that the subject in question had become largely unresponsive again, although he kept in good shape and was eating well. He closed the file--the same news as last week's update--and stared at the picture attached to it. The expressionless red eyes gazed up at him with the air of someone who was merely going through the motions, someone not _truly_ alive.

Lucifer would kill him if he lost Sable, and vice versa.

And then something began to dawn on Zachary, as he stood with Lucifer's file in his hand, with ter Borcht's signature scrawled on the "AUTHORIZATION" line, and a bunch of other names printed on the sheet beneath, the names of the Superiors involved...

Zachary was ter Borcht's Superior. He was ter Borcht's supervisor... He was Lucifer's main operator and still had a good deal of influence in that department. He was still--mostly--in charge of the Angelus project, and he still had time before the Superiors closed in on him and shut him down completely.

He still had time to make a difference, and put his name in the history books, and protect his life's work. Maybe it would be in a different way than he'd always planned. And maybe it would be under a different title, not remembered for his scientific genius, but something else... But he still had a chance.

His voice was strong, if extremely weary, as he asked the Operator to put him through with his office back home. "Hello? Lucy. I know we haven't spoken to each other in months, but... Would you mind doing me a favor and email something for me?"

If Zachary Moore was going to be remembered, it was going to be as a hero.

* * *

Finding Luce's location had been all too easy.

Someone had hacked onto his email and left him a message there, leading right back to the ITEX message boards, but this time with a code that when he tried it he wound up with not only the location, but a warning: _Move fast. Emma's not present and she's the only guard, but she'll be back soon, possibly with Karen. _

Then there was another code that Dom wrote on his arm, guessing it was some sort of security code for when he got there.

He rented a car in the city away from the facility, and drove the rest of the distance until he pulled up the street across from ITEX, out of view of its security cameras but in the perfect place where he could utilize his stunning eyesight in spying on the routine of the employees.

Most of them seemed to leave for the night at around ten o'clock, and they returned the next morning at five-thirty on the dime. All wore plain white lab coats, which he could buy cheap from the costume shop. All of them looked prim and clean and haughty, and there were so many of them that it would be impossible even for ITEX and their employees and all of their technology to pick out a single young, proud impostor among many others.

After three days of spying, he bought his lab coat and made his move.

The hard part was the actual getting inside. Although it had been a while since he'd last had any action or practice in sneaking, he wasn't all too worried; it was with an air of arrogance and nonchalance that he strolled through the black tinted glass of ITEX and followed a swarm of scientists through swinging double doors, being swept along down the pristine white hallways with the crowd. They broke away in patches, and once it became a normal thing for scientists to walk off alone down the halls to their destinations Dom left the group he was with and strode off down a hall.

Once he was out of sight and their chatter had died away, Dom stopped and tried to orient himself. The information he'd been sent had told him that Lucifer was being held on the third floor and to look for ter Borcht's office; Lucifer's holding unit was three doors down from it.

Dominic found one of those handy floor maps that said **YOU ARE HERE--***, and found himself to be on 'level A'. 'First Floor' was the one above him. Shaking his head at the way the floors were numbered, he made his way towards the stairs and climbed to the first floor, then the second, and finally the third. He passed two doctors, one older with short gray hair, stubble, and a cane and one with short blond hair and an accent, but they paid no attention to him as they were too absorbed in an argument to notice him when he vacated the stairwell.

He noted a paper sign that read "ROLAND TER BORCHT" and followed the arrow, until he reached a door that had a little bronze plaque on it. The plaque itself was blank, but the voice that issued from within, shouting over the phone to someone, was obviously ter Borcht's.

Dominic hesitated for a split second. _Three doors to the left, or to the right?_

He shrugged and just plowed right on, opening each door ever so slightly so as to be able to catch a glimpse of what was inside; it wasn't on the right side, so he went to ter Borcht's office and went to the left.

He found the third door and opened it.

_Bingo._

He could see Lucifer sitting across the room, behind a Plexiglas wall whose only door was guarded by a single keypad. Lucifer looked up as he entered, and his eyes widened. He jumped up, mouthing, _"You! Oh my GOD!"_

Dom held up a hand and waved at Luce to keep quiet, and Luce settled down, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he waited for Dom to figure out the intricacies of the keypad: It was both a scanner and a password combo.

Luckily, Dom had come prepared.

He pulled out his small kit from his right pocket and dusted off the keypad--to his trained eye, he could make out only a single set of fingerprints, making his job a whole lot easier. He didn't smile as he put away his duster and pressed the strawberry pads to his fingertips, careful not to get his own prints and oils on them.

Once he had them secure, he rolled up his sleeve and began entering the password.

There was a soft click when the code was entered correctly and the door unlocked. It swung inward lazily as Dom pushed it. When Luce was out, Dom opened the door quietly and left, glancing back at Luce as Ter Borcht's door flew open and the scientist stormed his way in the opposite direction muttering loudly to himself. He never once looked at them, but complained vehemently to no one in particular about stupid interfering freaks with canes.

"Plan?" Luce whispered. Dom just stared at him, then flipped him off. Luce scowled. "Look, I know you can't talk and I can't understand you, but you can--mime or something. And I can lip read...'Shut up'. Very sweet of you."

For a moment Dom stared at the ceiling with a 'Why are you doing this to me?' look on his face, then he spun on his heel and stalked off.

Luce followed obediently; Dom only stopped once, to drag Luce into a closet with lab coats. There, Dom handed Lucifer a long, black coat, and then forced a white lab coat over it. Then he handed Lucifer a pair of black contacts.

'To mask the red,' he mouthed in explanation, but Luce just stared at them for a few moments.

"You know...these will dissolve..."

Dom just glared at him.

"Fine, fine, I'll stop talking and hurry up."

When Luce finally got the contacts in Dom reached into the pockets of his own lab coat, retrieved something in the form of an unrecognizable ball of wires, and handed it to Luce. Luce looked at it for a long moment, then at Dom. Dom rolled his eyes and mimed an explosion. Luce's laughed. "Gift from Gazzy and Iggy?"

Dom nodded vigorously, and began drawing on the wall with his finger. It was a map; Luce nodded along, and when Dom marked an X and wrote 'BOOM', he nodded again. Dom patted Luce's shoulder, and opened up the door. He strutted down the empty hall as if he owned the place, and Luce followed similarly, shoving the bomb in his pocket as he went.

They took the stairs down to the basement, where they found two spikey haired trainees making out among the crates and cobwebs. When Dom and Luce entered, striding across the cement floor with a we-mean-business aura, the interns jumped up and ran out, no questions asked.

"I'm assuming this is where, if you would talk, you'd make some reference to Star Wars or something."

_"Jedi mind trick?"_ Dominic warbled, but Luce ignored him, setting the bomb. _"Or perhaps Doctor Who?"_

He shrugged, and as Luce turned and ran for the stairs, yawned a bit. He emptied the rest of the smaller bombs from his pockets and booked it after Luce, leaping up the stairs three at a time and then hightailing it out the nearest window after the Fallen as the couple from before and their superiors yelled at them.

"I found the source of the mysterious ticking noise! It's a bunch of _bombs!_ Evacuate!" someone shrieked in the background--just as the place blew to smithereens in a nice, Hollywood style fireball.

As Dom and Luce jogged towards Dom's car, they passed ter Borcht, who was hiding behind his car with his hands over his head. Luce snorted, tossed his labcoat over the scientist's head, and then ducked into the passenger seat of Dominic's car before ter Borcht could see him. "Thanks for the Badass Longcoat," Luce said to Dom appreciatively as they drove away from the scene of the crime, sirens blaring in the distance.

Dom smirked.

Lucifer sat up and leaned back in his seat, relaxing for the first time in a long time. He smiled out the window. The world was a welcome sight. "Where are we headed? Sable's?" Dom lost his smile, but Luce didn't see. After Dom's long silence, Luce looked back over at him and nodded. "I understand," he said huskily.

Dom stopped at a red light, closed his eyes and turned his head to Luce, and began mouthing words at a rapid pace. Luce nearly went cross-eyed trying to figure out what the other hybrid was saying--then he nodded. "That's all I ask, just five minutes with her."

Dom grudgingly let Luce out a block away from Sable's even though they both knew it would be longer than five minutes. Luce patted him on the shoulder, and in a few long strides was on his way with the bird boy's eyes on his back. He knocked on her front door.

The door finally opened, and there was a _very_ loud squeal (probably from Beth). Luce nearly fell over under the tackle that was thrown to him. And then he was hugging Beth and patting her on the back and peeling her off and gazing lovingly at the girl standing in the doorway, a gentle smile on her face and sadness in her eyes.

Beth was bouncing and clapping her hands as she looked back and forth between them with a big grin on her face. "Umumumum!" She blushed and backpedaled away. "I'm going. Squee!"

Luce shook his head as she disappeared. _"That_ was a greeting." He blushed and ducked his head as he looked back at Sable, suddenly at a loss for words. He felt like a stranger... How many years had it been?

"Hello again," she said, and her voice was like a magnet, her heartbeat was like a siren's call, her smile and her face were the light and he was a moth. He walked towards her and smiled.

"Did you miss me?"

She didn't move until he was right in front of her, pressing her against the wall with his body and trapping her with his arms. Then she jumped up to be able to see over his shoulder, where Dom was waiting in the car, and she waved. Dom looked away.

She sighed as she rocked back on her heels and pressed her face into Luce's chest. "Yes. I did miss you. A lot."

He hugged her tightly. "I missed you too. Dom said he'd give us five minutes."

"Then what are you waiting for, you need to le--"

He silenced her with a short, but deep kiss. He pulled back enough to breathe gently on her face, tilting his head to the side and touching her cheek with his nose; the contacts that had been dissolving every time he blinked finally melted away as he gazed obliquely at her. "Hush," he whispered. "I haven't seen you in years... I probably won't see you in even more. Enjoy it while it lasts."

She rolled her eyes, but let him press his mouth back to her lips. He smiled at her winningly and rested his forehead against hers. "I'm going to keep in touch with you the best I can. Please don't leave me grasping at straws." He sighed and laughed. "I really don't want to leave now. I should probably go before Dom has to drag me away."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close. "Not the 'best' you can. Better. Promise me."

He rubbed her shoulders, easing away as much of the tension she didn't show, but couldn't hide. For a moment they were both silent, his face pressed against the bare skin of her collar, his hands tight on her back, pinning her to him tightly and comfortably. "Sable..." His lips pressed against her neck, fangs grazing her skin.

"Oh shi--Ah!" She stiffened, struggling to kick him or pry his arms off of her. But the pain was bordering on unbearable, and tears were streaming down her face. Dominic was suddenly there, grabbing Luce's shirt collar and yanking back, simultaneously pressing his foot to the back of Luce's knee. Luce fell backwards, yanking Sable forwards until his teeth ripped out of her skin. She fell backwards, hands clamped over her neck and her mouth, her eyes wide and watering profusely.

Lucifer was gasping for breath, blood smeared across his lips and chin, and tears were streaking down his face. There was a half crazed look on his face as he fought Dom's restraining arms. Eventually he calmed down enough to let Dom lead him away. Beth met them at the door with a pair of emergency backpacks stuffed with supplies that Dom took. When they were out the door and headed to the car she turned towards Sable and was still holding the door open. "Hurry."

Sable, blood leaking out from beneath her fingers and hot tears leaking from the corners of her eyes, ran down to the street where Dom was climbing into his seat after having shove Luce into the passenger. Dom groaned softly to himself and Luce hid his head in the crook of his arm; but as Dom started the car his elbow accidentally slipped, and the window on Luce's door rolled down. Sable clutched the door as soon as she reached it--the car was already beginning to move.

"Go _away_ Sable. Please."

"No, I won't go away. I am going to haunt you for the rest of my life. Because I love you. And I thought I dealt with the monster part of you years ago--I thought you were done beating yourself up. Apparently I was wrong. And don't you dare come back here until you get yourself some self-respect. I _love_ you, Luce, and I don't care how much you hate me for it."

"I'm sorry." He looked up at her, then leaned heavily on his arm against the door and closed his eyes. "I can't hate you. I love you too, and I'll do anything... But Sabes...Sable, I_ bit _you." His jaw flexed, and his lips, still stained red with her blood, trembled. "I drank your _blood."_

"And damn it don't I know it!" Dom had to veer sharply to avoid crashing into another parked car--for a moment Sable was thrown into Luce's lap, and his head was once again hovering over her bloody neck.

"I'm sorry." Luce pushed her away and Dom took this as his cue to shoot the car forward a bit and started taking off down the road.

"Skree—"

"Shut up."

Dom did.

* * *

Leaping out the window had been about the only good thing that had happened in the past week. They'd gone to the last rendezvous point only to find that the others had already left it, and after that were forced to look around for places with computers and phones considering what all they'd had had been left with either the others or at Karen's, and they weren't going back there.

So as it was for the past week they'd been flying in ever widening circles, living off McDonald's, and resting in trees. They'd even had a rat eating contest already since Max and Angel weren't around. They just couldn't agree on who had won.

When it was nearing the end of the day they saw a shape that quickly made itself out to be not a clumsy bird, but a little bird girl coming to meet them. Angel scowled at them when they settled again and gave her food.

"This is the last time I meet up with you if you aren't gonna wait for me and are gonna eat rats! I mean it!"

With her hands on her hips, her face streaked with mud and rain, and her hair tangled, matted, and a bit greasy from having not had a shower in a while, Angel was very intimidating for a little kid. The boys shivered. She'd been hanging around Max just a _little_ too much lately, they thought... She smacked the nearest one--Fang--over the head.

It was definitely a good thing to get Angel away from Max. Definitely.

Angel sighed and she handed Fang and Trinity a backpack each; she had worn both of them, one on her back and one on her chest, and it had been the weight of them that had caused her clumsy flight. "We've got your computer in there, Fang, and some clothes for you guys, and your cell phones. Because you guys are idiots and left them there."

"You went there?" Trinity stared at her. "Why'd you go there?"

"Because I had to." She began stuffing her face with cold french fries. "You guys wouldn't, I saw it, so I went back. Did you know that you had some really friendly goldfish out in the backyard pond?"

The boys just continued to stare at her, the paleness of their faces and the bruises on Trin's took up her vision. To add to the awkward turtle, Trin said, "No, no we didn't." He paused. "We didn't get out much."

Angel rolled her eyes

"Of course you didn't, but you could have at least waited for me. I was heading back to the meeting point as fast as I could before you guys started to think you could fly around and look for us. You do know that just makes you harder to find, right?" She made a face at them. "I've been following you, and I would have been here sooner, but nooo…"

They settled around her and started going through the bags she had brought and taking inventory. Fang tossed a shirt over her head. "Why are you on our cases, Ange? Isn't that Max's job?"

Angel's face went carefully blank like when they were playing poker. "Max told me that while she was gone, I was supposed to give you Hell."

Trinity and Fang couldn't tell if she was joking or not, but decided to play on the safe side and change the subject. "How are they?"

"Max and the boys are off looking for Dom and Luce. Dom just busted Luce out of ITEX, and they're planning on meeting up somewhere up north. They're all good. The boys miss you a lot."

"What about Max?" Trinity asked teasingly, nudging Fang in the ribs.

Angel smiled sadly. "Words cannot describe."

Trin glanced at Fang before looking back at Angel. "How are Dom and Luce? And do you know about what all happened with us?"

She swept a stray curl behind her ear and busied herself with her food. "I know the basics about what happened to you guys," she said with her mouth full. "And Dom's... Holly's dead. And Luce bit Sable and he's tearing himself up over it. But that's about it." She chewed a bit more. After swallowing, she continued. "Look. Tell me word for word what Zachary told you, and did Karen say anything that would help? Did anything weirder than just _Karen_ happen?"

Trinity told her about what Zachary said, and she nodded and scowled when she heard about the delay in information. "She..." Trinity sighed. "Where do we begin?"

"How about the fact that I'm going to die?" Fang's face didn't betray the emotions Angel and Trin knew he was feeling.

"That's part of the basics, but I didn't tell Max or the boys." Angel's lips twitched sadly. "I know you want them now, but I don't think you'd want them here later on and you know they wouldn't leave." She looked everywhere but at Fang, her eyes eventually falling on Trin's face. "What happened with Karen exactly?"

"She gave Fang some chemical to release Beta, but its side effects include his insanity and-or death. She was overly friendly, and it's a proven fact now that she _is_ insane. And..." Trin turned to Fang, sensing Fang wanted to say something.

"I talked to someone who sounds exactly like Max, but wasn't. One guess who it was."

"Her clone? Really?"

"She didn't know the Jackie code," Fang said.

"That's the one where you mention Jackie anywhere in a conversation and they're supposed to recognize that you're in deep doo doo and respond 'terribly, she's a bitch'," Angel said to Trin, who hadn't heard about it.

Fang glowered at her. "You weren't supposed to know," he said. "And you're not supposed to swear, either."

"Like I don't know everything," she teased. "And it's hard not to swear, but I'll try."

"It shouldn't be that hard. Especially for you."

She stuck her tongue out him and continued eating. They watched her absentmindedly. "So what're we supposed to do now?" Trinity asked after a while. "New York and find our mom? Find Max II?"

Angel chewed thoughtfully. "I think it would be more productive to find your mom, considering we have some idea where to start with them."

"Alright, New York it i--"

Trinity was cut off by Angel choking on her food, her eyes wide and terrified. He spun around, but there was no one lurking in the shadows, nothing to scare her. He turned back, and Fang was patting Angel and trying to get her to spit out what she was choking on. Angel finally recovered by swallowing it, but she hugged herself tightly and began to cry.

"What's wrong?" Trinity and Fang demanded. She shook her head violently. Fang gritted his teeth. "Ange, we can't help you if you don't tell us."

"It's so cold," she said, and her voice was shaking. "So cold."

Fang took her up on his lap and held her, rubbing her back. He motioned at Trin to get him a jacket for her; Angel's teeth were chattering, and her lips were literally blue. "Is this like before?" Fang whispered as he tucked the jacket around her shoulders and pulled her closer, rocking her gently. When she nodded, he asked, "Will you tell me now?"

"No!"

They both could feel Trinity pushing his worry at them. Angel's words were garbled by her chattering teeth. "I'm f-fine." She swallowed. "I'll be better s-soon." She closed her eyes and Fang kept rubbing her back. He looked at Trinity.

"We aren't going to get anything out of her."

Trinity sighed. "Girls. Why do all the ones I know have to be stubborn?"

"I think they're all that way, but it's not like we've even got a chance of understanding them."

"I'm not even going to try..."

"That's the smart thing to do, or not to do." Fang smirked. "To be or not to be."

"You guys are idiots." But Angel managed to laugh.

"Isn't that why you love us?"

And, in a way, it_ was_ why she loved them, Angel thought to herself as she curled up beside Fang, his wing extended over her to keep her warm. She tried to fall asleep, but after such a sudden and shocking dip into the Time Stream she was having a hard time getting sleepy again. And she kept shivering...

_Hush, Angel. Let me take care of you... Go to sleep... Forget about what you Saw.  
_

_Night, Voice...  
_

* * *

They made for New York immediately. Again, it took time, and they spent a lot of it searching for information on the laptop as to where they might be headed.

Fang scowled one evening. "I'm not finding anything. We're the kids of geniuses who don't want us to find them."

"Once we get there," Trinity said, "we should stop by the church. The priests probably have an idea--Mom would have stopped by and visited her friends, right?"

"Unless they were being followed and didn't want to put them in danger," Angel pointed out.

Fang ran a hand across is face. "But it's somewhere to start. I'm seriously finding nothing. Lead the way to the priests, Trin."

It took longer than a while, but soon they had crossed the last state border and flew into Manhattan. They landed in a deserted alleyway and walked out after hiding their wings; they argued for a few moments over getting a taxi or not, decided not to, and walked the rest of the way. Just their luck, it started to rain.

As they ran around the last block and the church came into view, Trinity let out a strangled cry and sped up. When Fang and Angel finally caught up with him on the stairs to the church, they saw why: A stained glass window was shattered and loosely boarded up, and one of the huge doors was hanging off its hinges. Inside was dark and almost silent, except for the sound of water dripping from the roof. Trinity stood, speechless, too shocked to do anything--but Angel began picking her way into the church. "Father Aleksey?" she called. "It's okay, it's just us!"

A door creaked open, and then Aleksey was rushing over to them. "Trinity! Fang and Angel! What are you doing here?" He looked weary and worried.

"It's a long story," Fang said shortly.

"What happened?" Trinity came over, his eyes sweeping the darkness. The damage seemed fairly new, and except for the door and the broken window nothing else seemed out of place. "When?"

"Also a long story," the older man said wearily. "Come in to the rectory. We were just sitting down to dinner--join us."

"Are our moms here, or did they pass this way?"

"Part of the long story," the priest said as they walked through the door he had entered, and into a warmly lit kitchen; the other priests of the parish, and a few others, sat at a table, looking at them expectantly after having heard the commotion outside. Father Aleksey nodded at them, and they relaxed. "But yes, they passed through here just a little while ago. Have a seat."

They did so only after removing their jackets and hanging them by the heater. "Where to begin?" Father Aleksey sighed.

"What happened here? Why?" Trinity leaned forward. "Father, why is the church like this?"

Another priest, young and apparently new, spoke up. "I was the only one here when it happened. It was the monsters--the... I don't know what to call them. Zombies, maybe? They do look like that one movie."

"Zombies. Yeah." Angel shuddered.

"Whatever they were--they were fighting with Gwen and Lizzy, and the girls knocked them out. Frankly, I thought the things were dead were dead; Lizzy and Gwen probably did, too, otherwise they wouldn't have left. But a little while after they'd gone, the zombies _got up_. And when they saw that Lizzy and Gwen weren't there, they tried to break into the church to see if they were hiding. They ripped the door off its hinges and broke the window and searched the place, but that was all the damage they did. I hid myself in the rafters and watched, and they didn't find me. And then they left. That was just a few days ago."

"Do you have any idea where Gwen and Mom were going?"

"Ah, well that's part of the story," Aleksey said. "And I've figured out how to tell it..."

* * *

Aleksey jumped at the knock on the door, and his hand went instinctively for the gun he'd once had at his hip. His fingers found a rosary, and he sighed.

_Lord._

He went to the doors of the church and opened them wide, trying to seem fearless. He kept out of the way of them, just in case the person(s) outside tried to shove it open; but when he saw who it was he was at once worry-free and scared to death.

"Why, Aleksey, you look_ terrified."_

"Don't I have reason to be?"

Lizzy grinned at him and stepped inside, followed by another woman Aleksey recognized. He thought he might faint, but managed to shut the door and lock it without doing so.

"I don't know. One is usually happy to see old friends alive and well."

"Especially after they've been on the run from mad scientists," Gwen added.

"That's why I'm scared," Aleksey said.

Lizzy laughed. "We've never had anyone follow us here before, why should now be any different? It's good to see you."

Gwen patted Aleksey on the shoulder and steered him towards the door to the rectory. "Got some snacks? 'Course you do. You're a growing young man, of course you'll have food."

Aleksey pulled his shoulder out of her grasp and opened the door. "Yes, I was just sitting down to lunch. I hope you don't mind soup."

The girls smiled broadly. "Of course not. We're famished."

As he went over to the stove and got some bowls out of the cupboard above it, he glanced over his shoulder at the girls and observed them carefully. There was something different about them both, but he couldn't pinpoint it. "I'm glad to see you," he said, "don't get me wrong. But what are you doing here?"

"Oh, we've just come by to say hello. There's been some slack with the mad scientist business lately so we figured we'd use the time for some R-and-R and visit some old friends."

"And you chose me first?"

"Hey, it's closest." Gwen shrugged and swept her bangs out of her face, grinning.

Aleksey frowned. "How so? Where have you been?"

Lizzy zipped her lips. "Secret." But she smiled dazzlingly. "If we told you, you'd get in _so _much trouble. And we couldn't do that to you."

"Oh, I've heard that before." It was his turn to laugh as he sat their bowls on the table and sat down, motioning for the girls to join him. They did. "What can you tell me?"

"That we're both grandparents."

Aleksey's eyes bulged. "Already? What happened?"

"Well, Ana and Trinity's kids were born a...few...years ago... God. Wow." Gwen blinked rapidly, and Lizzy rubbed her face sheepishly. "It was an extremely quick pregnancy--six months, I think. And then, technically, Fang and Max have been parents since they were like, nine and ten or something. The kids are both boys; they haven't got names that I know of, they just go by Eleven and Ten." Lizzy sighed. "And then my own little boys are having trouble of their own..."

Aleksey frowned. "But if they're in trouble, what are you doing here? Unless by trouble you mean taking care of their own kids, I've never known you two to wait to do something for very long."

"They're out of the trouble we could help with," Gwen said softly. "There's nothing we could do now, except clear the path for them."

"What are you talking about, Gwen?" He looked between the two of them. "Lizzy?"

"There's something going on in this country," Lizzy said. "Something beyond ITEX's face value of evil mad scientists. There's something that's caused the Voice, and Angel, to split the flocks. Max, her kids, Dominic, and Luce are heading in one direction, and Trinity, Fang, and Angel are headed in another. Everyone else is at home. We're not so sure about Max, Dom, and Luce--but we know one thing for sure about Fang and Trin and Angel..." She looked down at her bowl of soup; her hands were hidden in her lap, and her shoulders were hunched. Gwen gazed at her mournfully.

Aleksey didn't know how to respond to what she was implying. The enormity of it all was, even after all these years, stunning. Eventually, he found his voice. "I see...sort of..." He chewed his lip. "Is there anything you want me to do?"

"You don't have to remember anything, really." Gwen smiled and handed him a letter. "This'll tell them all they need to know. It even has where we're going to be headed next." She laughed and glanced at Lizzy. "It's in her code speak of course, but they'll figure it out."

"I seem to recall they had a bit of trouble last time," he said dubiously as he looked the envelope over in his hands.

"But you can always call Gabe or Angie," Gwen said lightly. "They'll be glad to help."

"I suppose…"

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Stop looking like someone kicked your cat, it'll be fine. They'll figure it out, this one isn't nearly as hard."

"If you say so." He slipped it into his pocket.

"Of course I say so."

Aleksey shook his head. "So what now? How long do you think you can stay? And what _has_ been going on lately?" The girls raised their eyebrows. "The radio, the TV, the newspaper--all censored," he explained. "I don't know what's truth and what's fiction and what's propaganda anymore. The internet is rather mixed as well."

Lizzy shrugged. "I'm sorry, Aleksey. It's probably better this way. You know that knowing things can get you in a lot of trouble. We wouldn't want to do that to you."

He looked at them searchingly, but they remained resolute. He gave in and nodded.

"We can stay till something changes," Gwen said after a while. "And it would have to be something really bad."

"You know you're always welcome here."

The two women stared at him with gazes filled with emotion; Lizzy, whose eyes had been misty this entire time, seemed suddenly closer to tears than before, while Gwen looked like she was going to put her head down and die of sorrow. "Thank you," Lizzy said softly. "You don't know how much that means to us, after so long."

Aleksey stood, his jaw suddenly firm. "Eat," he ordered. "While I go see if I can find my car keys. You two look like death--you need to rest." He spun on his heel and trudged out of the kitchen, and upstairs to his bedroom. As soon as he reached it he closed the door and pressed his back against it. Pressing his palms against his suddenly stinging eyes, he tried to think. _What _had_ those girls been doing for the past so many years?_ he wondered. _What had made them change?_

When he'd steeled himself he came back down again with a tight smile. "I hope the soup was adequate, I'm afraid my cooking hasn't gotten any better."

Lizzy seemed to have collected herself, as she snorted. "It's better than Gwennie's. We used her cooking as weapons."

Gwen wrinkled her nose. "Oh thank you, may I remind you why I was cooking in the first place? You honestly called that pancakes?"

Aleksey shook his head. Perhaps they hadn't changed after all... "Alright. Do you need coats or anything?"

"I haven't grown since I was seventeen," Lizzy said wryly. "And although Gwen _has_, she can just wear some of my things. Or Gabe's, depending on how oh-so-lonely she's feeling."

Gwen blushed. "Let's go," she said quickly, and the others agreed. As the girls had already put their dishes in the sink and rinsed them, they were ready in just a few seconds. After locking the door to the rectory and to the church, they headed to his car and drove down to the house. Lizzy took out the key, and they were soon inside the cold, dark building.

"No one's been here for awhile." Gwen shivered. "I know they're staying in Colorado, but it's still so weird."

"Think about how Gabe must have felt, alone," Lizzy said to herself, and winced when Gwen looked away hurriedly. "Sorry."

Gwen shrugged it off. "I know." She squared her shoulders and grinned at Lizzy. "Wanna help me raid Gabe's closet? We can see if his fashion sense improved."

"Well, judging from what I hear from some people about him looking like a movie star, it has."

"Squee!"

Gwen ran through the double doors into Gabe's bedroom, where lights quickly turned on. Lizzy turned to Aleksey. "Could you go upstairs and turn on lights and things? I don't like the house dark."

There was something in her eyes as she watched him nod and turn towards the stairs that bothered Aleksey. He was beginning to put pieces together in his mind, and these clues coupled with years of experience with broken, shattered, abused, and otherwise emotionally hurt people, he was starting to get a horrible idea of what had happened.

When he came downstairs again Gwen was wearing one of Gabe's jackets and a pair of sunglasses. "He _does_ look like a movie star now, doesn't he?"

"You always knew he had potential."

"My own personal Ken doll." Gwen grinned and struck a manly pose. "'Will we _ever_ have enough clothes?" She giggled in a high voice.

Aleksey rolled his eyes. "1989? Really, Gwen?"

"I remember the Barbie Liberation," Lizzy mused from where she lay on Gabe's bed, flipping through movies on On Demand. "Although, it was G.I. Joe who said all the girly things, not Ken."

Gwen smiled. "We're so old."

Lizzy scowled. "Don't say that! We're not old until we're in our eighties."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Aleksey said lightly, as he moved to take a seat on a couch. "I'm still twenty-two!"

They laughed and talked long into the night. Eventually it came time for Aleksey to leave and they saw him off at the door. "Thank you, Aleksey," Lizzy said. "You still don't know how much this means to us."

"Will you tell me someday?"

"Perhaps."

"So mysterious." He shook his head. "Well alright then. I'll be seeing you girls later. Remember I'm always around if you need anything."

Gwen didn't waste a second before saying, "Then we'll be seeing you tomorrow for dinner!"

He smiled wryly. "Do you want soup again?"

* * *

_"Hey, Ally--"_

"Don't _call_ me that."

_"--we were wondering if you want to come over to our place with some of your priest friends for dinner? We're gettin' lonely in this house, we need some beer and football and guys to hang out with, and we need _food, man!_ So yeah. Come on over anytime you want. Bring movies. I dunno if there are football games this late in the year. But yeah. Bye!"_

Aleksey rolled his eyes at the phone as he hung up on her and started calling his friends and asking around for movies and food. "Hello--"

_"Aleksey?"_

"Yes, it's me. Lizzie and Gwen are planning a get together. Have they already called you?"

_"Yes, I'm brining salsa. I think they're going to beat you at calling everyone."_

"I figured." Just in case, though, he called everyone else he could think of. Indeed, all ten of the people who didn't live with him in the rectory had already been contacted and were bringing foods. The only people Aleksey actually had to fill in were the few priests living in the rectory; all of them were good at cooking in the styles of their various cultures, and after a quick call to Lizzy to get a checklist of what _wasn't_ being brought, Aleksey and the others had their menu planned out.

They hopped in their respective cars and drove down to the target house, piling out with their aluminum foil covered dishes and a bag full of DVDs, and were let inside.

There was a lot of hustle and bustle as a variety of foods were set in a table in the upstairs kitchen on the long, long dining table and a series of smaller round ones, where a bunch of people (some priests, some not, and the ones who weren't had their respected girlfriends, wives, and sisters) hung out with laptops and dishes of snacks; the rest of the food piled up on the counter in the kitchen.

Lizzie beamed at Aleksey. "This is going to be great! Anyone wanna watch a certain movie first?"

"Got one!" someone called from the living room, where the TV was already blaring the intro to some movie.

"Pool game starting in five minutes!" another voice called.

It was a happy chaos.

Lizzie made a face at Gwen. "And you thought we were just going to have another boring day."

Gwen shrugged. "I was wrong, it looks like we made everyone's day."

"I don't remember a gathering like this since..." Aleksey tried, and failed to remember when there had last been a party. "Since a _long_ time ago."

"Mhm." Gwen smiled. "It's nice to have everyone here, especially with all the food!" She laughed.

Aleksey raised his eyebrows at her, grinning. "I remember Lizzy here being the one so obsessed with eating. You always complained about having such a slow metabolism and having to work out so much--what happened?"

"You never talk about a woman's weight! How dare you!" Gwen smacked him lightly over the head, laughing some more.

He dodged away from her and held up his hands in defense. "Mercy! I forgot, I'm sorry ma'am."

"Come on, pool!" Lizzy grabbed Gwen by the hand and dragged her into the living room, stealing a pool stick and nearly poking her eye out in the process. Aleksey followed more slowly, still smiling and shaking his head, but wondering at what Lizzy and Gwen were hiding. He had yet another creeping suspicion... But no. It couldn't be.

Gwen called him over. "Ally! Don't you want to play?"

"I think I'll pass," he said seriously. "I don't want my eye taken out, thank you."

"We're not _that_ clumsy--Woops! I'm _sooo_ sorry. I'll go get you another beer, hold on!"

"Point taken," Lizzy said.

He waved them off and went over to watch TV. "Have fun. Don't hurt yourselves."

"Oh thanks," he could hear Lizzy muttering. "Now I'm worried..."

"Lizzie! How do you play again?"

"Poor girls," one of Aleksey's friends' wives was saying. "They just got back and now they have such a crowd!"

Her husband shook his head. "They like it. You weren't here when they use to be around, but they loved their parties. Right, Padre?"

Aleksey sat down on the couch and was offered a choice of soda and beer cans from a cooler by the coffee table. He waved them away, not feeling hungry or thirsty at the moment. "Right. Remember that birthday party they threw for Angelus that one time?"

"And how they tried to make the cake?" Everyone snickered.

"You forget that _I _was the one who had to taste it," Aleksey grumbled. The snickering turned into roaring laughter at the look on his face. Stories were traded, and after (losing) the pool game (miserably) the girls in question made their way over, grabbed some drinks from the cooler, and began chatting away happily.

"You better not have been talking about us," Lizzie teased. "We might just have to kick your butts at pool if you were."

"Ha! You could try!"

Things went on like this, happy and out of control, long into the night. Gradually, as it got later, more and more people drifted away for the comfort of their own homes; but each left with a kind word and said they had a great time. Each time this was said the twin grins on Lizzie and Gwen's faces brightened even more since the last time they were seen.

Eventually, when most but not all the food had been taken home (because people didn't want the girls to starve) the little group that was left lounged on the couch laughing at each others' stories while ignoring the TV.

Aleksey was among this smaller group, and he was enjoying himself thoroughly. He had the remnants of tears in the corners of his eyes, from laughing so hard so often, and his sides hurt from it as well. He hadn't had such a good time since Angelus and Gabriel had been reunited, and even longer before _then..._

"I'm dead serious! Those pancakes were worse than Frisbees, they were as solid as rocks and just as heavy too! Don't ask me how we managed it!"

"And you should have seen the look on the scientist's face," Lizzy gushed. "It was _priceless!"_

"It would probably have been even better if we'd have force fed him one, but we didn't come up with that idea till later. We just knocked him out with it."

The girls high-fived excitedly, and Aleksey sat up a bit straighter. He thought he'd just saw a hint of bandages under Gwen's long sleeve... As Lizzy doubled over laughing at what someone else had said, he narrowed his eyes; he'd noticed a large Band Aid slapped across the back of her neck, previously hidden under her hair...

He leaned forward to get their attention. "Hey, Liz, Gwen…what happened to you? You've told us what you've done, but what happened?"

Gwen and Lizzy blinked. "Huh?"

Another of their friends picked up on what Aleksey was hinting at, and snatched Gwen's wrist, pushing her sleeve back. "Don't tell us you've gone emo," he said smoothly.

She blushed but tried to laugh it off as she pulled her wrist away and yanked her sleeve back in place. "Maybe I have, you never know. I've been away from everyone 'cept Lizzy for a long while, and she can drive anyone insane."

None of them smiled at that. "Come on, guys," someone else pleaded.

"Look," Lizzy said, sighing. "There's something going on in this city. We're here to get rid of it. We get bumps and bruises along the way--it's not a big deal, you know us. So don't worry, and stop askin'."

Another friend scowled. "If you're not telling then it's something big. You always wear your bruises like badges of honor. What aren't you telling us, Lizzy? We want to help you."

Lizzy looked down at her lap. "You don't have to."

"We want to."

She rolled her eyes. "Seriously, guys, there isn't anything. We just don't want you to worry, and that backfired." She smiled brightly. "It's no big story, we won't be so secretive if you stop freaking out."

Nobody seemed to believe her. "We're adults," the man who'd grabbed Gwen's arm said. "You don't have to protect--"

"Yes, we do," Gwen snapped.

He wrinkled his nose at her. "I'm not twisting your arm, Gwen. I'm sorry I grabbed you earlier, but you have to tell us something more."

"Alright, alright," Lizzy said before Gwen could refuse again. "The ITEX under Manhattan is the center of the Virus project. We can't tell you what that is, just that it's bad. We're trying to stop it, or at least mess it up enough so that when Trinity, Fang, and Angel get here they can take it down completely. That's it. I'm not telling you guys anything else."

"You don't need to tell them anything else." Gwen smiled wryly and rubbed her eyes. "I think all the questioning has made one point clear. I think they should know."

She glared at them. "I'm going to show you something, and I'll answer some questions about it--but no more questions about what we've been doing after I've shown you, alright?"

They nodded warily, although some were crossing their fingers childishly behind their backs. Gwen stood and unzipped her jacket, and Aleksey jumped up. "I knew it," he said triumphantly. "I _knew_ it!"

Gwen's long wings had been shoved into her sweatpants, but with a single thought from her they pulled themselves out and spread, flapping a bit to show off the crumpled feathers. She smiled awkwardly and fingered one, smoothing it out. "They're kinda cool, aren't they?"

"Yeah," one of their girl friends said in awe. "When did you get them?"

"And _how?"_

"It was a long, long process," Gwen said. "Got caught a little while after Lizzy and I set out, and we were separated. I went through a lot of experimentation. They had to suppress my immune system for over two years, and I got really, really sick a lot. And growing the wings took _forever._ I only got out of ITEX a little while ago, when Lizzy saved me. Nearly died when I came off the immunosuppressive drugs..."

A lot of her friends turned white. "But you're okay now?"

She nodded. "Of course. I wouldn't be here if I wasn't. Lizzie here held us up while waiting for me to get completely better; we could have been here sooner if she hadn't done that." Lizzie rolled her eyes.

"We couldn't have got here sooner, you wanted to try and fly all the way here. It was like for a while you forgot you had feet, and you still aren't the best flier."

"We could have taken the train! Or a car!"

"But we busted a lot of ITEX facilities along the way," Lizzy said. "I didn't hold us up, really, just slowed us down." She stuck her tongue out at Gwen.

Gwen wrinkled her nose. "Slow isn't so great, remember? That's why we love roller coasters so much."

Lizzy smiled. "But it got the job done."

Gwen made a face at Lizzy before settling back down. "So that's my story, and we know almost everything that's been happening with you guys by now. But tell us, just how adorable are our grand kids?"

Everyone kind of just blanked out at that, and they looked at the priests. Aleksey smiled. "They haven't seen them," he said. "Ana hasn't brought them out east yet."

Lizzy groaned. "Don't tell me she hasn't even sent pictures!"

Aleksey held his hands up. "Other than the ones on the wall in the rectory," he said, "we haven't seen any."

There was dead silence for a moment. Then, Lizzy rounded on Gwen. "Did you notice the pictures?" she demanded. Gwen shook her head. "I can't believe we missed them!" Lizzy put her head in her hands, laughing. Gwen gave a self-deprecatory giggle.

"You two haven't changed a bit," a friend commented.

"I should hope not." Gwen grinned. "We'd be no fun if we changed!"

They shook their heads and laughed some more, but one by one they noticed the time and had to leave. Eventually, it was only Aleksey and his carpool group left. They helped the girls clean up (or rather, they cleaned up while the girls watched), and then they stood awkwardly by the door, smiling sleepily. Aleksey hugged Gwen and Lizzy. "See you tomorrow morning for breakfast?" Gwen asked.

"Yeah! We wanna see those pictures!"

"Of course!" They laughed and waved and shut the door behind them.

Lizzie made a show of wiping off her forehead. "Now that that's done and over with...leftovers anyone?"

* * *

The next morning Lizzy and Gwen showed up on the church steps, with bright smiles and eyes. "Morning, Ally!" they said as they walked inside, casting wary glances over their shoulders. "Lock the door behind you," Lizzy murmured as she passed by. Aleksey was understandably worried as he followed them into the rectory. "So, where are these pictures?" Lizzy was asking Gwen.

"Upstairs," Aleksey said. "In the hallway."

"Let's see if they look like me!" Gwen grabbed Lizzie's hand and dragged her along behind her, leaving Aleksey behind to catch up. He was sidetracked by a phone call, however, and when he finally did appear upstairs he was out of breath and throwing on a jacket.

"Hospital call," he said quickly. "I'm sure you understand. I'll be back soon..."

"Oh, don't worry." Gwen seemed cheerful. "We'll just torture John here 'till you get back. Best wishes to the hospital and whoever it is." Aleksey nodded and ran past the apparently frightened Father John. The younger priest stared worriedly at the two women who were smiling innocently at him. "What _have_ those dear friends of ours told you?" Gwen asked.

"You don't want to know," John said. "I'm just going to go...read. Yeah. Holler if you need anything." He was about to shuffle back down the hall, but Lizzy opened her mouth and he stopped. For a moment, she seemed like she was trying to say something, but then she shook her head.

"Never mind," she said. "We'll call you for lunch in a bit."

He frowned and hesitated, but at the little shake of the head from Gwen he dropped the matter and went down the hall. Gwen turned back to Lizzy, who was staring intently at the pictures of Trinity, Ana, their children, and their various flock members. There were some pictures of a younger Trinity as well, from his stay back when he had first come to stay with the priests. Gwen put her arm around her friend's shoulders, rubbing Lizzy's arm consolingly. "We should go soon," Lizzy said softly, sadly. "We can't wait for them forever..."

"We could have contacted them," Gwen whispered. "Why didn't we?" But she wasn't expecting an answer. She already had one. For a moment, the girls continued to stare at the pictures. Gwen stared at the pictures, the shiny film, the smiling faces contained within. She knew that such photos were hard to get now. But she hadn't had any pictures of her little girl...ever... But Aleksey deserved the pictures just as much...

As Lizzy turned away, Gwen snatched some of the pictures off the wall. They weren't in frames, just taped onto the wall; the only thing that showed there had ever been pictures there were the spaces between the other pictures. Not something someone would notice, unless they were OCD like she was. No one would notice. Lizzy did, but she didn't seem to care. Or she cared too much; Gwen noticed the straightening in Lizzy's shoulder and the almost undetectable twitch in Lizzy's wings. She was seriously feeling something.

"John," Lizzy said as she leaned against his door. He looked up from his book. "Were gonna have to be going soon. We've moved to a hotel for a bit. If the boys come, we've got a letter for them. It's on the table."

"But..." John jumped up as Lizzy began heading downstairs.

Gwen put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't," she said. "Don't get caught up in this. It's our mess."

"But..." He didn't seem to know what to do with himself. He stared after the girls, and then he picked up his phone and hesitated again. Aleksey might still be caught up in the hospital call--always a touchy subject, and not something that was a good thing to interrupt. But...

_"Hey! Get off me!"_

John gripped his cellphone tightly and rushed off down the stairs. Gwen was standing in the doorway, cussing her head off at someone. Lizzy was out of view, but John could hear her grunting and cussing outside. "Gwen!" John hissed.

The woman in question slammed the door shut. "Don't follow!" she shouted at him.

He tried to open the door, but she wouldn't let it budge. He recognized it was a futile effort and ran to the window. He could see Lizzy, her wings freed from under her long jacket; blood was smudged across her cheek, and she was struggling violently against a swarm of what could only be described as monsters. As John watched, Gwen rushed out and entered the fray. He cringed and ducked down as one of the monsters looked his way, and he opened his cell phone and hit speed dial. "Aleksey!" he whispered as soon as the priest in question picked up. "Something--monsters--are attacking outside, the girls are fighting, and they say they're leaving and I don't know what to do."

_"In Nikolai's closet there's a fake back. Open it and then hide behind. The girls will knock three times on the backing when it's safe to come out." _Aleksey paused. _"I'll be there soon."_

John rushed upstairs to the Russian priest's room, found the fake backing in the closet, and climbed inside. As he locked the backing in place he noticed some objects of interest, including Nikolai's hunting arsenal, which John had seen during some of their vacations and visits to some old parishioners who had moved more westward. John's hand strayed toward it after a particularly loud, pain-filled scream sounded out from in front of the church.

Soon, though, the noise died down. The sound of John's own breathing was all he could hear--everything else was completely silent. He knew it was probably a bad idea to even try opening the door, but he was too scared to even lift a finger either way. He nearly jumped out of his skin when the girls' voices sounded just outside the door. "It's safe, Johnnie," Gwen said wearily. "Come out and say goodbye, we have to go now."

John flew out of the closet and met the girls in the doorway. Both of them were rather bloody, and Gwen was sporting what was probably going to turn out to be a black eye. "You should be safe for now," Lizzy said. "They were after us, not you."

"You're just _leaving?"_ he asked disbelievingly.

"What else do you suggest?" Lizzy demanded, with fire in her eyes. "I'm not in the mood to argue, and I don't see any other option. We aren't leaving the city, we aren't going far. Just far enough. Now, here's the letter I was talking about." She stuffed it against his chest. "Give it to the boys _if_ they ever come. And lay low for a while. The police'll come, but pass it off as a gang fight or something. Meanwhile, Aleksey'll be here soon and he'll help you cope with all this. Anything else?"

"N-no..."

"Goodbye then." Lizzy whirled around, and the two disappeared from view.

By the time Father John had strengthened his resolve and run out after them, they were gone. All that was left was a mess of Zombie bodies on the stairs, some blood spatters on the stone, and a broken window. Father John stood in the doorway, his eyes wide and his hands threaded through his hair, for a good while. And then he saw something twitch. Instincts and a strong shot of fear moved his feet--he spun into the church and ran into the stairs leading to the choir loft, locking the doors behind him before heading more slowly up the stairs--they had recently gotten a tendency to creak. Each step seemed to take an eternity, and every little creak of shifting wood seemed magnified tenfold.

Just as he came into the dark choir loft, he heard glass shatter. John ducked down and crawled over to the edge of the loft, pressing his eye up against a slot in the rail. He held his breath.

The Zombies were _alive._ And they were searching.

John heard something pound on the door to the church, and he knew it was only a matter of time before they broke into the choir loft and found him. And he did not want to be found. He'd grown up in this church, and had spent many an afternoon after church exploring the building while his mother chattered away with the other women in the hall, with the pancakes and coffee. John gripped the rail and tried to remember how to do something he hadn't done in years.

He hoisted himself up onto the rail, gripped an alcove where a statue had perhaps once stood, and put his feet on top of the old piano. After a few soft grunts and a mild whisper of, "Gosh darnit all to heck," John was standing in the statue's alcove. He attempted to catch his breath, and had just swung his foot over a rafter when the pounding on the church door grew even louder, there was the sound of splintering wood, and then a sharp crash as the door gave way.

John clung to the rafter with all of his might, biting his lip and trying to keep silent. As the shuffling footsteps stopped at the door to the choir loft, John began crawling across the rafter. he finally reached the very center of the church and leaned up against another support beam, pulling out his rosary and putting it to his lips. Down below, the Zombies were shuffling about, searching beneath pews and in the confessionals.

Finally, after about fifteen minutes of searching, they shuffled their way out and down the street. John didn't dare leave his safe spot in the warm rafters of the church, until he heard the familiar sound of Aleksey's car pulling up out front. He waited until Aleksey had come into the church and begun looking around frantically for survivors, then called out, "Just me."

Aleksey didn't even look up; his shoulders slumped and he spun in a slow circle on his heel, taking in everything. "They've left already," he sighed, mostly to himself. "Johnnie, come down and tell me what happened. Let's...let's make something for lunch and talk."

* * *

"And that's everything I can tell you, everything else they wanted to tell you is in that letter." Aleksey sighed. "It's quite a story, and I'm sure you want to read that letter all the more now, but I really think you should finish eating first before you want to run off."

"We'll eat," Trin said, "but could you read the letter for us?"

Aleksey frowned. "Are you sure you want me to be privy to such information?"

Fang, Trinity, and Angel nodded. "You've done so much for us all," Angel said. "You deserve to know something."

Aleksey smiled at her and at the boys. "Thank you. Now eat!" He took the letter and opened it smoothly, he held it up to read and cast a meaningful look at his listeners until they all took another bite before he began.

"'Dear boys, and friends, we're sorry we missed you again. We moved to, well, you'll figure it out'—wait, that's crossed out, and its Gwen's writing now." He laughed. "I think they were arguing.

"'I think we've all had enough about your mother's riddles and clues. We're at the High Rise Hotel, sixteenth floor, room number 156. Don't meet us there quite yet, wait a few days. We need you to do something for us first, and you need to do it as soon as you can. We've really put a wrench in the New York ITEX's works, but it hasn't quite blown up yet; you need to infiltrate the underground facilities through the subway, free some of the experiments that are still left (we tried to get most of them out, but there are still a few there)... All you need to do after that is set off the sprinkler system. That will shut down all the electricity, and they'll lose all of their precious data. It'll be enough to pull the plug on that branch for good.'

"And here it changes back to your mother's writing. 'We know you probably think it's been a few days so it's okay to set things in motion now, but don't jump the gun. Wait a few days after reading this, it won't hurt anything. If things go well we'll still be here when your done, we've can't do it ourselves because we've got to lay low for a while. If we're not here we'll leave another note.'"

Angel smiled. "Sounds fun."

"'There are a few other things we'd like to tell you...' And it switches back to Gwen. 'Of course we're not going to tell you that just yet, just in case. It's not like we don't trust any of you, it's just safer to tell you face to face at the right time, even if that's getting harder and harder to do. If we can't meet, look into the Angelus Project. All your answers will be found there, if we can't give them to you ourselves. Best of luck kiddos, you're gonna need it. Love, your Moms.'"

_

* * *

_**_A/N:_**_ Beth accidentally put "Lizzy growned. 'Don't tell me she hasn't even sent pictures!'" I wondered, obviously, if she meant "frowned" or "growled"._

_It was neither. It was _groaned.

_She says she has an excuse; she has an evil lollipop._

_Cue music!_

Lollipop, lollipop, oh lolli-lolli-lolli...

_I really have no excuse to as to why it took so long to update this. We've just been struggling. And, this is what, three, four chapters combined into one, too. So...yeah. :-( Sorry for the long wait and the general lack...of...substance?_

_**PLEASE REVIEW. PLEASE.**  
_


	51. Chapter 51: Waiting

_**A/N:**__** Waitin' for a review, waitin' for a review,** choo choo choo, **waitin' for a review...**_

_Hey, guys. It's been a while. Life has its way of keeping you occupied. School just sucks you in and won't let you go. And, frankly, I haven't been inspired one bit for Wing It. **The lack of reviews hasn't helped, either.** Neither has the fact that I feel like pulling my hair out every time I re-read earlier chapters._

_D hasn't been on lately, but that's fine. She's doing great. :D _

**

* * *

Chapter 50**

**Alex**

Max called me up one evening in early May, and from the way my father handed me my cell phone (which he'd been using to play reMovem), I knew it was something urgent. When I said, "Hullo?" Max's worried voice cut me off.

_"You need to talk to your girlfriend,"_ she said darkly. _"She's pissing me off, and she's worrying Ana and Iggy to death. I don't care how you do it, fix the problem."_

"But what _is—"_

She hung up.

I sighed and looked at Dad apologetically. "I'm sorry," I said as I stood. "Excuse me for a moment."

"Of course." He nodded and I went into my bedroom, dialing Nudge's phone number. As I waited for her to pick up, I wondered what Nudge—my sweet, sassy Nudgie—could do to tick off Max, and cause Ana and Iggy to worry. Short of threatening to leave the flock again, I could think of nothing.

_"Hello?"_

"Why so glum?" I asked immediately, concerned with her somber tone. "Something wrong?"

_"Did Max send you?"_ she demanded. _"If she did then don't worry, I'm fine. She's just way too over-protective. And if Iggy or Ana called you, then you can tell them—"_

I let out a quick breath. "Sweetie," I said swiftly, "calm down. I did get a call from Max, but—before you say a word—I'm only calling for _your_ side of the story. Not hers. I'm here for you. Just you."

She was silent for a moment, and then she sighed. _"Sorry. Thanks."_

"No problemo." I sat down on the windowsill and looked out across the nighttime cityscape. "You okay?"

_"Mhm... It's just been really hard here. With Angel gone, there's really no one to hang out with. Iggy's busy, and the dads are busy, and Ana's busy, and the twins are running around, Kate and Jason are nice but after a while...it's just... And KIX and Catlyn are the only ones I really hang out with, but KIX's pretty bummed out too. He's not the same as before. And Catlyn's trying her hardest, but I just can't seem to remember how to laugh anymore... We're all working so hard at living a normal life, but every time I feel completely normal I get another reminder that I'm not. Whether it's just having to keep from being seen, when we have to hide from the raids, and when we have to sneak out of the grocery store... I just wish..."_

I don't think I've ever wanted to hold her as much as I did right then, hearing the despair in her voice. But I couldn't. People in D.C. weren't allowed out, now that ITEX was cracking down. I wouldn't be able to fly to my Nudgie and comfort her, because of ITEX's stupid laws. My fists clenched and I glared out across the city at the large ITEX billboard.

"I know," I said quietly. "And I'm fighting for us, Nudge. All of us--and you and me. I'm fighting. One day we'll be the normal. One day it won't matter what you have on your back, or what's in your blood. We are humans. We are _us._ And one day, we'll make the world see that."

One day soon.

I promise.

--

That night after the curfew, I tried to make my escape.

With a police jacket, cloth armband, and a pair of regulation boots thrown on to disguise myself as a Curfew Enforcer, I slipped out into the hall. The waiter who was on patrol for this floor at this hour looked away immediately, recognizing my face, and as I passed him I gave a slight nod of my head. Thank you, old man, it said because my voice could not.

From there went down the Employees Only stairwell; it was warm and small, but the stairs were wide enough to allow a ramp for maids' carts. I got off at the basement floor, where the carport was. There was a valet guarding the doorway, but he pretended to fall asleep when he saw me coming down the stairs. I brushed lightly against his sleeve as I passed, another silent thank you.

In the carport, it was bright. There was no way anyone could hide here, but just in case I made sure to skirt wide around cars, so that I could see who was hiding there. Luckily, I found no one, and found my car. I peered into the windows from a distance, but found that there was no one lying in wait in or under the seats of the car. Now, the trunk was another matter... But if they tried to get out of the trunk by digging into the car, they'd find it wouldn't work.

Grimly, I unlocked the driver's side and got in.

I turned off the headlights and drove out of the lot, my car's engine practically silent. I headed to the house of Ms. Chase by way of as many main streets and ways as possible; the curfew enforces mainly patrolled the back roads and alleys, to catch those poor fellows who didn't realize that that was the most obvious route. The lights were on in Ms. Chase's and I could tell someone was in the kitchen--it was allowed, thankfully, to be awake at night. What was illegal was being out on the streets. Like I was.

But the street was clear as I pulled my key out of the car and stepped out onto the sidewalk.

Immediately, a light was flashed in my eyes and a hand was clamped over my mouth. I fought as hard as I could, but something heavy, probably a night stick, was clubbed against the back of my skull and I collapsed. I could taste blood in my mouth from where someone had kicked me in the face, and I could feel the warm stuff on my face from where my nose had originally been. I was tossed around like a ragdoll, and when I finally landed on the ground my shoulder was being ground into it, my back was up against a wall, and someone was tearing my hair and kicking me in the ribs. I curled up as best I could, but every new kick and tear and clubbing I got made me lose more control over my muscles.

When it finally stopped, I realized I was crying. The curfew police were shouting something at me and at each other, but in the end they calmed a bit and just gave a look at my ID, wrote something down on a pad of paper, and then tossed the ticket and my ID onto my shaking form. "That'll teach ya to sneak around in our uniform!" one of the guys—who couldn't have been older than me—growled. They each gave me an extra kick before walking off.

I lay there for a while with a hand cupped around my face to try and stop the bleeding; finally, though, I managed to pull myself onto my hands and knees and crawl up to Ms. Chase's door. I landed against it with a heavy thud. When the door opened, my shoulder was thrown forward and I landed quite uncomfortably on Ms. Chase's foot. Ouch.

Before I had gotten my bearings I was being pulled up again by Ms. Chase's thin fingers and deposited on her couch. She already had a cool damp rag and was dabbing at my face with it.

"You're a mess, Alex. You of all people should know to look both ways before crossing the street by now."

I raised a lazy hand. "Didn't get run over by a car," I tried to say. It came out more like, "Unnghhhh."

She frowned and pressed the rag into my outstretched hand. "Here, I'm going to go get you some ice. Wait here and don't disappear on me. There's news you need to hear." My hand flopped back to my face, suddenly weak as Jell-O; the rag felt nice and cool against my skin, and very soft; my breath was warm. I was sleepy...

A calloused hand grabbed the towel off my face and landed heavily on my bruised shoulder. A voice chirped too loudly, _"Man, ain't that a pretty face?"_

"Ow. You suck," I grumbled to Dominic, and accepted the ice Ms. Chase handed me. "What are you doing here Dom?" I looked between him and Ms. Chase sleepily. "Do you have anything you have to tell me?"

"Yeah." This time it was Luce, speaking as he came into the room dressed in a totally badass longcoat, his red eyes hollow and haunted, dark circles under his eyes and his face haggard and thin. ITEX hadn't been good to him, it seemed to me. Not that it had been any nicer to me. Ow. "We need you to come with us. We're taking ITEX down."

I felt my eyes widen a fraction before I reacted. I blinked, smiled broadly, showing off my bloody teeth, and leaned forward. Ow. On second thought, I fell back against the couch and curled up, hissing through my teeth and barely managing to say, "Ambitious. Got a plan?"

Luce took a step back covering his mouth and breathing through his nose, and then I realized that my left arm, which had been pressed to my side, was hurting. And red. For some reason I felt embarrassed and hid my sticky red hand behind my back. Ms. Chase tutted, taking out her First Aid kit. Dom put himself in Luce's way.

My eyes narrowed. Something had definitely changed while he was in ITEX.

_"Things are complicated," _Dom said slowly, meeting my gaze. _"But here's the plan..."_

--

The three young men waited until morning so they didn't have to worry about curfew among other things, and even then they drove. When they reached the city limit Dom flashed his headlights three times; the people at the gates (which had been erected a few months before) moved out of the way and let them pass by slowly. Peering out the tinted window, Alex could see that all the men's eyes were bright red.

Fallen.

Alex grinned.

Luce smirked from the backseat. "Any last minute adjustments to the plan? Speak now or forever hold your peace."

"I didn't know we were getting married!"

The boys laughed good naturedly, and then Dom floored it. They arrived a distance from their destination, but Dom didn't park the car yet. Luce let out a low whistle. "So that guy who beat you up—"

"Hillard or Riddle?"

"—is here now? Sweet diggs." Luce was eying the beautiful estate enviously.

Alex nodded. "Hillard's car's there, so Riddle is probably here too. They probably know everything there is to know from the ITEX front at this point. I bet they're loving being able to show off at parties."

"So it's our turn to hear their stories." Luce grinned. "Let's go."

Alex, Dom, and Luce strutted up to the front door and knocked. "Luce," Alex muttered, "you get Riddle. He's strong."

"Aye-aye, Cap'n."

The door opened to reveal a small, delicate looking girl. "May I help you?" she asked dubiously, her eyes straying from Luce's red eyes to Dom's permanent look of calculating, cold anger, to Alex's plum-pie face.

"Yes ma'am," Alex said. "Is Mr. Hillard at home?"

"It depends on who his visitors are." She frowned at them. "And I'm not so sure he's here at the moment either way…"

"We're here on _business,_" Luce said. "Urgent business."

Her frown darkened into an all out scowl, but she shrugged. "How should I know who's who?" She stepped back and held the door out wide for them, giving them a wide berth. "You're welcome, of course. He's in the study. Try not to make a mess."

The three men trooped inside and headed to the study. Alex paused at the closed doors and sniffed once. He and Luce exchanged wary glances, and as the latter nodded Alex opened the door. Luce shot inside, ducking under two bullets and jumping behind Riddle, immobilizing the hybrid swiftly.

At the same time, Dom had leaped into the room and, dodging more bullets, ran at Hillard and disarmed him by pretty much breaking Hillard's skinny wrist.

That left Alex to drop the remaining human guards easily and grin at Hillard like the Cheshire cat. He shut the door behind them and locked it before more people could come to check out the gunfire. "Hello, Hilly-boy," Alex purred. "Miss me?"

Hillard spat at Alex's shined shoes. "What do you want, Alex?"

"Information. Every last piece of it. And if you won't tell us, fine, we'll just gut you and feed you your own intestines."

"Too bad I'd already be dead, wouldn't enjoy it," Hillard hissed.

"Actually," Alex said softly, "I know a way that would keep you alive. My long stay at ITEX has taught me many a method of torture. The point of torture is to get information without killing the informant... And so I know some pretty painful...tactics, and you'll be able to suffer through every last one."

Hillard glanced at Riddle and hissed through his teeth when it was confirmed neither of them were getting anywhere. "Where do you want to begin?"

"Gutting you?"

"The information spill, you dolt!"

"Hnn. Well, then I'd like to begin with asking whether or not it was you who stole my journal and mailed it to Julia Edgerton a little over five years ago, on my birthday."

Hillard bristled. "Damn it, you – Sinclair, we all know you're not the simpering fop you pretend you are, so why don't you get to the point and ask me something substantial?"

"We'll ask the questions, sir," Lucifer called mockingly. "Just answer him."

"Besides," Alex said, "the odds are you won't answer us, or you'll give us some crapshoot answer that'll lead us on a wild goose chase around the country, delaying us while you and your ITEX buddies work out all the kinks in your plans. Or maybe it'd be a trap. I dunno. Just answer my question—it's important enough."

"You – I didn't steal your diary. Ow! Hey! What the hell was that for?" Hillard nursed his bleeding nose with his good hand, eyes streaming. Alex rubbed his knuckles and glowered.

"It's not a diary!"


	52. Chapter 52: Filling the Silence

**A/N:** _This chapter's dedicated to sportychic, who's really our only reviewer. Thanks, Sporty, for helping us get back to work. We know we said that we wouldn't be posting until we had inspiration and reviews... Well, we got the inspiration, and we decided to forget about reviews for a few moments and post this for you. This is mostly fluff._

_We spent an hour organizing everyone's ages and birthdays. A whole hour. Sheesh. We haven't done the adults yet, either..._

_Anyway._

_**PLEASE REVIEW. :(

* * *

**_Alex, Lucifer, and Dominic had been terrorizing ITEX employees for two months now. They had gained wanted posters and quite a few Specific Area Message Encoding alerts; but for all their efforts they had received no more information, nothing helpful. They were cold and running low on gas and food, so they deemed it time to stop at another gas station. Dom headed for the restroom to wash his face and hair--they were avoiding hotels, and consequently, showers, and Dom was feeling the need to get his face clean.

By the time he got out, Luce had finished filling up the tank and Alex had already piled their groceries in the back of the car. He came to rest near the others, a soda in one hand and a can of Pringles in the other. Luce glanced up at him curiously. Dom didn't acknowledge his presence but to sigh.

Alex took a swig of his Mt. Dew before sitting beside them. He twirled the lid of the drink between his fingers, relishing memories and his thoughts far away. "We need to help our family," he stated the obvious with a blustery sigh. The only ones to contradict him were birds in the distance. "We need to be useful. We have no real plan. We aren't getting anywhere."

There was a rustling as Dom stole Alex's Pringles and Alex elbowed him. "Excuse me, I'm trying to be dramatic." Dom shrugged and rolled his eyes. Alex tried not to smirk. "Well fine then. I'm saying we should make oursleves useful. Scaring peeps is getting us nowhere, and Max could use our help most right now. Do you remember the last call we got from her?" He shook his head sadly.

Luce frowned. "How does helping Max bring us any closer to our 'bring down the government' agenda?"

"Do you see us doing anything_ now?"_

_"Skree,"_ Dom said, voicing his displeasure.

Alex rolled his eyes. "Max always has a plan, right? Besides, Max is supposed to save the world, and we can help. Boy does the world need saving."

"I see," Luce said. "So where were they again?"

Alex shrugged. "I dunno. With our luck she's out in Montana somewhere. I was thinking we get hold of the others and see if they know where she is."

The three boys gave wistful sighs and looked out into the middle distance, again thinking of their friends. "Sounds like a plan," Luce said. "You got your cellphone?"

"I got a dead cellphone," Alex grumbled. "You?" Dom and Luce told him that they were in the same predicament. "And there aren't any pay phone... And it's not like we can just use some random person's phone or anything." He bit his lip. "How can we--"

He closed his mouth, and as one their heads cocked to the side. In the distance, they could hear the sound of a helicopter approaching, and the familiar sound of Hummers. Finally, Lucifer spoke. "Either we're being trailed by the Mafia, or ITEX just got classier."

"Either way, we better run."

Dom snapped out his wings only to glance at the others and pull them back, leaping into the driver's seat. Alex dove for shotgun and Luce went for the backseat just as Dom shot the car out of there. Gravel was sent flying everywhere as he burst onto the road, heading away from their pursuers as fast as the vehicle would let them.

"Turn up the radio."

Dom did so obediently, but asked, _"Kee-ke-keee?"_

"Oh, no special reason," Alex replied, "I just thought I'd say that."

Lucifer was staring out the window at the rear-view mirror, and muttering, "Those aren't Hummers, damn it. Those are freaking Smart Cars."

Dom very nearly laughed. "Smart Cars?" Alex repeated, not sure what to make of that. "A mob of Smart Cars?" He turned to get a look for himself and then sat back, blinking. "A mob of Smart Cars."

"Always knew they were evil," Luce said. "Oh wait. There _is _a Hummer."

Dom had long since floored it, but the Hummer caught up with them and soon drew level. The tinted window rolled down to reveal men in black suits, sunglasses, with earpieces...and a gun pointed straight at Dom.

All three of the hybrids ducked and Dom let go of the steering wheel; the bullet pierced through the passenger window and went straight through the driver's seat's; the hybrids' car swerved and crashed into the side of the Hummer, nearly killing Lucifer who just barely managed to throw himself into the back of the car before it happened. Dom straightened up enough to grab the steering wheel and get away from the seriously messed up Hummer, but the little Smart Cars were shooting at them as well. The bullets all went through the windows or lodged in the headrests of the seats, and Luce's foot got stuck in Dom's mouth as he tried to pull himself up from where he'd landed when he jumped into the back.

Alex folded the two back seats and pushed them as far back as they could go to give them more floorspace. Lucifer tried to monitor what was happening outside without getting his brains blown out. Dom tried not to get a bullet through his forehead and steer at the same time.

Suddenly, he slammed on the brakes. Alex was thrown forward, and Lucifer smacked his head on the hard side of the car door. Both of their sensitive noses protested at the smell of burning rubber, and they barely managed to scream, "What the hell are you DOING?" before beginning to cough and hack.

_"Keee!" _Dom hissed, and the Smart Cars and the Hummer shot past them. Dom immediately threw the car in reverse, turned it around, and shot in the other direction. _"SKREE KEE KRE-SEE!"_

Alex obeyed, crawling into the front seat and leaning over to get the steering wheel from Dom. The car lurched sickeningly, and Dom was thrown against the car door; his hands shook as he unlocked it.

"Dominic, NO!" Lucifer cried, but the door was already open and Dom had jumped out. He hit the ground in an awkward roll, and to save his wings and back and neck the potentially fatally consequences of the bad roll, his arm suffered. He didn't hear the snap but he sure felt it, and for a moment it was all he could do to stand up straight let alone open his wings. He gave a half-scream of anguish as he stretched his wings out and forced himself to take a running leap into the air. His wings caught the wind, and after five seconds of agony the pain dulled and he managed to perform a complicated corkscrew to avoid a rain of bullets.

The car Luce and Alex were in was disappearing, and most of the Smart Cars were slowing to keep up with Dom rather than the others. The Hummer came to a full stop and five men ran out of it, strange guns in hand and trained on him. He screeched, but didn't fight as they fired at him, as he went down in a storm of electricity. His friends would be screaming at him, they'd be trying to get him back. He found himself still barely conscious as he men in black approached him now, kneeling beside him to examine him, talking into their blue tooths, or nudging him with their fancy shoes. He screeched again and bit the nearest one. Kicking him, at least they'd scuff their shoes.

"Damn," one deep voice said. "The kid's gone and broken his collarbone. That's gonna hurt."

Dom wanted to spit at them and tell them it already _did _hurt, but then someone said, "We've got our orders, let's bring him in," and he was being lifted up and thrown in the back of the Hummer. Typical procedure followed. Someone jammed a dirty, chemical covered rag over his nose, and he struggled a bit, but didn't fight incredibly hard. He hurt, and as much of a rebel he was, he knew darkness would be a temporary bliss compared to everything else he would be going through.

As the chemical he'd breathed in began to take effect, the pain in his neck, back and arm faded away and it left him with a fuzzy, warm, light-headed feeling. His eyes slipped to half-mast, and he exhaled through his mouth. As his mind began to go all sleepy and drunken-like, he felt a warmth and weight settle around his shoulders as if...as if...

His face twisted in his half-slumber, one of the men in black noticed. The man leaned closer and saw the hybrid's lips silently mumble a name...

"Holly?" the man murmured. "Who's that?"

* * *

_Damnit,_ Dom thought groggily as he woke. He hadn't wanted to wake up ever again. The inky blackness of unconsciousness had been painless, and his dreams had been sweet. Waking up even slightly brought bitterness and sharp, terrible pain. He groaned and drew his knees up to his chest, cradling his left arm close to his chest. He knew it was his collarbone that had snapped, but his arm hurt too; maybe he'd fractured it or something. His groan grew in volume and turned into a keening whine as fire laced up his side and through his ribs.

"Don't jostle it too much," a voice said. "It's been fixed, but it ain't healed yet, kid." Dom trembled under the touch of someone's fingers brushing against the back of his left wing. "Oh come now, I'm not as bad as that Karen. I won't harm you." The voice was soft and low and comforting, and somehow familiar. "However, you must allow me to touch you, just ever so slightly..." Strong fingers gently brushed aside his bangs and touched his jaw.

Dom whimpered, but his body was in too much pain to resist. "Seriously, Dominic... Just open your eyes."

Dom remembered that he had eyes to open and tried to raise his heavy lids. They were crusty and dry, and it took them a moment to focus on a point somewhere across the room. Once the fog of sleep cleared, he could see that the walls were completely white, but the room was lit with a warm yellow light that softened the hard sterility of an ITEX storage room. He wasn't in a cage, so he figured that this was either a transitional room while they looked for a cage big enough to not-quite fit him, or maybe this was one of those newfangled holding unit. Strangely, he was lying on a mattress, hard and uncomfortable as far as mattresses went but not as hard as the floor, and not as claustrophobic as a cage.

Dom was warm, and though he still ached terribly he knew that he didn't hurt as much as he _could. _Someone had to have cared enough for his well-being, not just his health, to make sure that that was so.

He hardly dared to breathe, his wings and shoulders shaking, as he slid his gaze to the figure sitting on his mattress at his knees. The man's face was thin and angular, and his eyes were dark brown. He was an older man, maybe in his late forties, and his hair was more silver than white. It suited him, as his face was only lightly lined, giving him a young and handsome appearance. His mouth was the mouth of one who was used to smiling.

He wore a lab coat and smelled like a doctor.

Now that Dom had seen him, he didn't dare even blink. A split second would be enough for the whitecoat to do something--anything--and Dominic would be completely helpless. He was low to the ground, up against a wall, in pain, nearly crippled and the whitecoat was pressed up against his legs anyway.

The man's hand was still resting lightly on his neck, and his fingers twitched; Dominic's skin crawled and his hair practically stood on end at the feeling of being stroked by this man. His lips formed words that he could not speak, a silent, terrified question. Somehow the whitecoat understood.

"My name is Doctor Zenaida. You might remember me as Eric, the man who was in charge of the children at the facility you were born in."

Dominic's eyes widened, but not in pleasant surprise. A chill went down his spine and he felt his eyes sting and bile rise in his throat. This was the man who had not only ordered the surgery on his vocal chords, but also been the head surgeon, the one who had cut him open and ruined his voice forever. He tried to jerk away, his voice coming out in frantic bursts of almost childlike fear. With his good hand he tried to push Eric's away, but the doctor closed his hand around Dom's and pushed him into the bed.

"Calm down, Dominic," he said firmly. "I am not here to hurt you."

Dom's vision blurred with a mix of anger and fear and remembered pain. He had had nightmares of what this man did to him almost nightly. He wanted to scream at this man all the pain that had been inflicted because of him, all the problems that came up because of what he'd done.

"I know what I did," Eric said. "I know that there must have been a lot of pain, a lot of suffering, a lot of emotional anguish... You must have had a myriad of problems without a human voice, and I know that you can never--and I mean that you can't possibly ever--forgive me. I can't forgive myself, and I never will. I want to apologize."

The hybrid closed his eyes, and they burned. He felt the hot tears streaking out of the corners of his eyes, and he wished that he were seven again so that he could curl up further and cry his heart out. He wished Sable were there, he wished Holly were alive, he wished he were _home._

Eric put his hand on the young man's hair and smoothed his fingers down the back of his head as soothingly as he could. "I'm so sorry," he said gently. "I really am."

But both of them knew it wasn't enough.

Dominic cried until he couldn't cry anymore, and he felt worse than ever. He hurt all over, his eyes stung, his nose was running, his head was pounding, and Dr. Zenaida was still at his side. There had been no improvement in the situation. He was weak and he was helpless, and he was at the mercy of a man who was probably just playing with him to get his guard down and get his scalpel into his skin again...

"Shhh," Dr. Zenaida said gently, still smoothing Dom's hair back. "Are you afraid of me?"

He nodded and licked his lips; they were dry and cracking already.

Dr. Zenaida sighed. "That probably will never change," he acknowledged. "And so I will do what I must, and you won't like it."

Dominic flinched and put his good arm over his head, trying to hide, or shield himself at least.

"There is a procedure that we have been working on that will either return to you your voice, on at least some level, or it will render you mute. I have been given the choice to go ahead with it or not, it's completely my call. I trust my abilities and trust my surgeons. Just thought you should know what we were going to do." The doctor stood, and gave Dominic's shoulder one last squeeze. "Dominic, I hope you can at least learn to hate me. I do not like being feared like you fear me."

* * *

Dominic woke to find himself being wrestled to the floor. He screamed and fought them as best he could, but finally he was pinned to the hard tiles, his wings crushed beneath him and scientists piled on his chest. His breathing was frantic and his heart raced in his chest.

"Night terrors," the voice of Dr. Zenaida muttered. "Damn it."

"When are you going to schedule the procedure, Doctor? You know there's only a small time slot."

"Yes, but..."

The voices moved away the hands left his body. Dominic curled up and chewed his knuckles to try and fight off some of the anxiety and panic that still occupied his mind. He could remember all too vividly what had happened in his dream. The pain of the scalpel, of someone messing with his vocal chords... He tore at his hair at the thought, trying to rip it out of his mind. No, no, no, was all he could think. He could hear his own voice warbling and trilling pathetically, like a frightened little boy's voice. He nearly wished that he had a blanket he could hide under, even though he was twenty and anything but a child.

He stood after a time and threw out his wings. It hurt, but not as much as before, and moving around and beating his wings a bit alleviated some of the stress he was experiencing. But the images were still burned into his eyelids, and he couldn't forget that ghost of a feeling... His hand shot up to his throat and clenched it, feeling the scar.

He didn't know sign language. That was his one failing. He had never learned it, and he thought he never would. The people who needed to understand him could. But if this upcoming torture session didn't go as planned--and, he decided, he had to face it, there was no way it would go as planned--he wouldn't be able to be understood by anyone.

_"And I must scream indeed,"_ he clicked. He might just go insane without voicing his thoughts, with having to resort to crude gestures and pantomime. It was already hard to deal with people who couldn't understand his language. What would it be like if no one could understand him ever again...period?

He didn't think he wanted to know.

He heard someone walking up to the door, and he leaned closer, trying to hear what was happening. He nearly fell through the door when it opened; another familiar face met him. This one was a woman, with her dark hair stylishly curled and pouring down her shoulders and back. He couldn't make out all her features in the darkness, but he knew she had slate gray eyes and a very pointy nose. She had been the one who fed him and treated him like a human when he was a child. She had also been one of the doctors present for his surgery. It had been one of the biggest betrayals in his life. His heart had broken when he saw her in the blue gown of a surgeon, her gloves bloodied with his own life liquid.

He backed away slowly and tried to get back to his bed, but she reached out and grabbed his right hand. "No, Dominic, I... I wanted to apologize...and... I'm so sorry." She let go of his hand and covered her face, breathing deeply to control her emotions. "Your surgery is in three hours. I had to warn you."

Dominic turned and hugged himself with his good arm and said, _"It doesn't matter. I won't be getting out this time."_

He knew that there was no way that Luce and Alex would get there in time. They were probably only just losing the ITEX people that were chasing them. They'd undoubtedly turn right around and track them back to the facility... But that would take more than three hours. If he were in surgery when they arrived, they would be forced to wait. They might even be captured. Almost undoubtedly.

There was nothing for him to do except pace. He couldn't sleep, wouldn't risk another nightmare. There was no way he was going to be able to break out with what felt like a couple broken ribs, a broken collarbone, and maybe some fractures in his arm. He had no hope of escape or salvation.

The hours passed.

The door opened.

He shied away from the doctors who came in; Eric Zenaida was last among them, as was the woman who had visited him earlier. To his vague surprise, he found that none of them were armed and none of them had any medication on them--no tranqs or sedatives or hypodermic needles of any kind. Somehow, that didn't make him feel any better. It insulted him, crushed him; he felt anger and terror at the same time. Screeching, squawking and screaming as loud as he could, he threw open his wings and made to attack whoever came near. The scientists, the doctors were intimidated, as expected, and jumped out of the way whenever he got in range.

He didn't know what this accomplished except putting their precious schedules off track. He flapped his wings twice, took two running steps, and lunged at the door. He was planning on barreling through Dr. Zenaida and landing in the hall, but instead of getting knocked down or giving into the knee-jerk reaction of dodging, Eric threw open his arms and grabbed Dominic in a bear hug.

Both were sent to the floor in the hall, and Dom screamed in pain as his collar and arm were crushed. The doctor let go of him and the other whitecoats picked him up. He was placed on a hospital bed and strapped down and a mask was placed over his face. The woman from before dried his face with her sleeve.

They rolled him, crying, down the hall to the operating room.

* * *

When Dominic woke up, he felt nothing. Everything was black, and he had to double check to see if he had opened his eyes or not, but he had. As his hand rubbed his face to try and regain any sort of feeling, his memory began to come back to him in flashes. He had been wheeled into the sterile operating room, he'd been prepped for surgery, and he'd fainted at the sight of the operating instruments, the blue robes, the masks, the gloves... After that he'd been put under, and the last thing he could remember before waking up was the feeling of his skin getting sliced open...

He shuddered and his hand went to his throat to find it wrapped in gauze. He had the vague recollection of hands and tools moving inside his throat, like worms...

He wanted to scream, but he was afraid that doing so would ruin his vocal chords. Speaking of which--would he be able to speak? How would he know? How soon could he know? What if...

Tears filled his eyes and his throat worked dryly. That hurt, and it just made the situation even worse.

He rolled over onto his right side and heard paper crackle--there was something underneath him, which upon inspection turned out to be a note from Dr. Zenaida.

_"Knock on the door when you wake up."_

Dominic crawled off the mattress and stood, leaning on the wall and breathing heavily through his nose as his head spun. Pressure was building up behind his eyes, pounding and painful. It felt like someone was driving nails through his skull, from the inside out, and taking his eyes with them. He let out a silent groan and stumbled over to the door, nearly collapsing against it when he reached it. It opened immediately and two doctors rushed in; Dr. Zenaida and an assistant who Dom couldn't recognize.

Dr. Zenaida supported Dom's weight and helped him sit up. "It's okay, Dominic, just breathe. Do you have a headache? Does your throat hurt at all?" Dominic gestured weakly at his head, and pointed at his throat and shrugged. Eric looked at his assistant, who was even younger than Dom. "Grab some of the pain killers I brought. And..." He drifted off into some medical jargon that Dom couldn't understand, and the next thing he knew his sleeve was getting rolled up and a needle was being inserted into his arm.

He gasped and his elbow jerked painfully, but he couldn't fight back for fear of the needle breaking and getting lodged inside him. That had happened to Kate, and she'd nearly died. He clenched his jaw and closed his eyes, trying to keep from fainting. "Shhh, it's okay... It's okay..."

Dominic's headache slowly went away, and he opened his eyes again to stare down at his hands. He gestured at his throat and raised his arms in question.

"You won't be able to even try using your voice for maybe a week," Dr. Zenaida said. "You can't make a single sound with your voice, even sneezing and coughing. Just don't talk for four to five days, and then we'll try putting you through some speech therapy."

Dominic felt ice shoot through his veins, and he pushed himself up onto his knees and hand, and he limped over to his mattress and lay back down on it, ignoring Dr. Zenaida calling to him. He pressed his face into the pillow.

Dr. Zenaida stood over him. "You'll be on a liquid diet for a while, so I hope you like smoothies."

Dominic didn't respond. The doctors left.

The days passed.

No one came to save him.

* * *

Dom woke after forever and sat up. He ran his fingers through his hair, which had gotten greasy and matted and was starting to smell, and he imagined that Holly would laugh at him and call him Robert Pattinson or something. He sighed.

The door opened and Eric came in, an orange colored smoothie-type thing in a plastic cup in hand. It was Dom's favorite beverage from a coffee shop that was local to Sable's area, and Dominic had never told anyone; mango flavored, with whipped cream. It was a welcome change from the tasteless, terribly textured protein shakes that he'd been force fed the past week or so. He took it in his right hand and ripped the paper off the straw with his teeth as Dr. Zenaida watched.

"Your friend told me that that's what you liked," Eric said, and Dominic nearly choked on his smoothie. His heart pounded. Since when had--

"Sable, that's her name, am I right? She somehow got a hold of my cell phone number and I've been filling her in. She suggested that I get you a smoothie, so I did. By the way, I don't know what number she's calling form and I don't know where she is. I'm not even going to try to figure it out. So you don't have to worry about her."

Suddenly, the smoothie tasted salty and his eyes burned.

"And some more good news. I want to start you on speech therapy today." Dominic's eyes bulged and he started coughing as silently as he could. "I thought I'd get you a Mango Mania to celebrate. I know you're not enthused about this whole thing, but trust me in this matter if you can. It'll be better for you in the long run." He smiled half-heartedly. "Can you make any sound at all?"

Dominic opened his mouth and then shut it. What could he say to test it?

"You--"

His eyes widened and his hand went to his throat. It hurt!

"Try it quieter, like you were telling someone a secret. Don't talk loudly yet."

"You could have told me that before," Dominic hissed, and then it hit him. He was talking. Human.

He jumped up, nearly kicking his Mango Mania over. "I can talk!" he whispered hoarsely. "I can _talk!"_

"Yes, yes you can." Eric grinned. "Don't strain your voice. You're going to have to be careful until you're fully healed."

Dominic whirled on him, his eyes narrow. "You wait until I can shout," he muttered vehemently. "I am going to cuss your sorry ass to Hell!"

"I don't blame you. I won't. God, am I glad your hating me." He hurried to the door. "I'll get you another shake, see if Sable's called...I'll be back."

Dominic was breathing heavily as he turned and stalked back to his bed, where his Mango Mania was waiting. He sipped at it slowly as he reflected on the sound of his own voice. It was hoarse and garbled with mucus and probably blood, and it hurt even to whisper--but it was deep, and it was rich, and it was epic. He loved it. He considered becoming a Nudge later in life just to hear his own voice--if he ever got used to talking at all. Even with his bird's voice he was considered quiet, more used to expressing himself silently than vocally, more used to keeping his thoughts to himself than sharing them. He was more of an introvert, plain and simple.

But his voice! It was the voice of someone on a radio show, or a narrator, or of a father reading bedtime stories to his children. It wasn't the voice of a wallflower. He had a brilliant idea for how he could use his voice, but it could wait until he was free.

Another thought hit him. Would this be his voice if they had never messed with his throat at all? If he'd remained untouched would his voice be different?

When he recovered--would he be able to sing?

The doctor came back then, a shake in one hand, a phone in the other, and a clipboard tucked between his left elbow and his chest. The phone was to his ear. "Yes, yes, I'm sorry you got put on hold, I was talking to him--of course, I'm giving you—he's right here! Hold on." He handed Dom the shake. "This is for you." He grabbed a pen from behind his ear. "I need to fill out this file. It can wait. Pretend I'm not here." The white coat handed Dom the phone. "This is Sable. She is the reason we need more coffee in the employee lounge."

Dom blinked and put the phone to his ear, and nearly got his eardrums blasted out as Sable shouted, "DOM!"

"Sable?" he asked hoarsely, and he rolled it on his tongue. "Sable."

"Dominic, oh my God." Her voice had lowered and was filled with awe. "Your voice is amazing, Dom."

He felt a blush rising in his cheeks, and he didn't really quite know why. "Thanks."

"You really do sound amazing. Look, whenever they say it's okay for you to go Luce and Alex will be there. We're really lucky these guys developed a conscience. You have no idea how close you were to being sent to one of the other facilities. We all want to kill you for the stunt you pulled."

"Your boyfriend's alive, isn't he?" Dominic whispered.

She sighed. "He hasn't killed himself yet."

Dominic rolled his eyes. "I thought I was supposed to be the emo one, Sabes."

"Right... Dom, you have to come home, okay? I want Luce and Alex to bring you here, meet me, you need to recover in a safe--"

"No, Sable," he said immediately. "I can't. We can't."

"And why not? Dom this is nonnegotiable, you have to—"

"No Sabes."

"But Beth..."

"No."

She was quiet. He felt like he was ripping a part of himself in two when he denied himself a chance to see Sable and Beth, his two closest friends in the world. They were the two people closer to him than anyone else, even his flock mates. More than anything he wanted to hug them again. But he had left them a note when he first left, and he was a man of his word. He had a job to do, and if he ever wanted to see the ones he loved again, he had to do that job. If he let himself see the girls before then... Maybe it was like showing off pictures of your family when you're in the army. Like that Hughes guy from Fullmetal Alchemist that the girls always sobbed about. He didn't know.

He really didn't want to find out that it was possible to jinx things. He didn't want to risk it.

"I'll call you when I can get out."

"...Fine."

Dom was caught by surprise. He hadn't expected her to give in that easily. After a moment, he found his voice again. "What?"

"I'm saying fine. Fine, be a jerk. I'll just talk the guys into kidnapping you and dragging you back here."

A sad smile spread slowly across his face. "You would."

"I will."

"I don't doubt you."

There was an awkward pause, and then he could tell that Sable was probably smiling. "Want to talk to Beth? She just woke up."

_"No._ Are you _insane?"_

"...I just woke up, too. I think that explains it."

"You don't say."

After another pause Dom focused his gaze on the scientist. "When can I leave?"

The scientist looked up. "As soon as you can shout without your throat tearing."

"...You want me to leave before then. When? Now?"

"Not now," the scientist said. "Seriously. If your throat tears, it can be disastrous."

"Disastrous how?"

"You could bleed out, possibly die within the hour."

Dominic paled and asked Sable if she'd heard that. She said she had and reluctantly agreed with the scientists. There was another pause. Dom sat down on his mattress and pulled his knees up to his chin, sipping on his shake a bit bitterly. He could feel the tears in his throat again. Crying was becoming too familiar lately, and if he hadn't felt so miserable he would have been embarrassed that he cried this much at nearly twenty-one... He moved the phone away and used the back of his hand to wipe his eyes. When he put the phone back to his ear he gave a blustery sigh.

"Dom..."

"Yeah?"

"Don't shout."

Dominic laughed softly, and the sound was entrancing to both of them--he had never laughed with _sound _before. It had always been just breathy, gaspy sounds--this was a real laugh.

Sable was very quiet as she said, "Holly would be so happy for you."

Dom felt his throat close up. "I know," he said huskily. "I know."

* * *

Luce drove the car around the block. Alex shook his head. "This is cheating. Dom is gonna hate us."

"We're gonna bring him here anyway, aren't we? I need to see her, and it's on the way!"

"And I need to see Nudge, but you don't see me going all stalker."

"Well, just goes to show who likes their girlfriend more."

"Hey!"

"Urgh, you're right though." Luce parked the car down the street and looked back at the house. "Should we stay?"

"You already know the answer to that. She'll kill you if you were this close and didn't stop. She'll find out."

"She would."

"She will."

"But we can't."

"We have to."

"No."

"You made the decision before you dragged us here. Come on." Alex got out of the car. "Let's get this over with."

"You make it sound painful."

"We're going to be glomped to death and you're going to go all emo again. It'll be pretty close to painful."

"…Pessimist."

"And it's true."

Luce locked the car and the boys slowly walked up to Sable's house. Ana's car, and the other cars belonging to various members of the Colorado household, were parked in front of it. The sound of their laughter poured from the house, a pleasant change from the depression that the two boys had been seeped in.

The door opened when Luce tried it, and they walked inside. Their delicate eardrums were promptly met by a plate shattering on the tile floor of the kitchen, which attached to the hallway by the door. Nudge stood there, barefoot amidst the smithereens that had been a plate or bowl. Her eyes were wide, and her face was pale with shock. Alex smiled at her.

"Hey Nudge. May I help you pick that up?"

He stooped to begin sweeping it up with his hands, and she couldn't seem to move, entranced by the mere appearance of him. Her hands dropped to her sides; he stood and got the dust pan and finished cleaning up. After disposing of the last of the glass fragments, he brushed his fingers against her feet. "There," he said gently. "It's safe for you to walk on now." When she still didn't speak he straightened and turned to Luce. "I hate to leave her frozen like this. Want to great the others on your own,or should I throw her over my shoulder and we face them together?"

Her arms were suddenly around his waist, her face pressed between his shoulder blades. Luce slipped away to leave the two lovers alone. He waited quietly for the others to notice him, too busy talking and laughing and enjoying each others company to notice their entrance or the episode in the kitchen. The twins were the first, pausing in their play to stop and stare, causing everyone else to as well.

Sable wasn't there, but everyone else was. He was immediately engulfed in a group glomp, with Beth closest to him, her face mashed against his elbow awkwardly. He hugged them all back as best he could.

"OhmigoshohmigoshohmigoshSable! SABLE!" Beth took off like a rocket and Luce could only laugh to himself and shake his head. He smiled at them.

"Hey."

Ana smiled at him. "It's so nice to see you safe and sound," she said. "When Sable told us what had happened, I was afraid you might go and throw yourself in the ocean or something!"

He rolled his eyes. "Why does everyone think I'll do that?"

"Because you're the kind of person who would."

"Nah. She'd find some way to bring me back and kill me herself if I tried that."

"She would! Oh, there she is!" Ana spun Luce around and pushed him towards the hallway. "Go get her, Romeo!"

Sable was being pushed down the hall as well, but she refused to budge from the doorway and Beth had to dodge around her, running over to the others. Sable brushed her hair out of her eyes. "It's about time you came home."

"I'm sorry it took so long."

"I've missed you."

"I'm sorry for ruining things last time."

"Are you better?"

"I don't know."

"Only one way to find out."

"Ew! Mushy stuff!"

"Yes, mushy stuff," Sable said with a sense of satisfaction, and grabbed Luce by his shirt front.

"Goodness gracious--"

"Out! Everybody out!"

"Ew Alex and Nudge in the kitchen! Other way!"

Lucifer pulled away from Sable and pressed his lips to her forehead, her eyes, her nose. "I've missed you so much," he breathed as he kissed her cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too." She pulled him down to the sofa, and sat down carefully beside him without removing her arms from around his neck or her fingers from his dirty, matted, smelly hair. She let him continue kissing her face, and she stroked the back of his neck. "You haven't been gone more than three months and I miss you like you've been gone three years again," she said softly.

"My stay wasn't that long," he whispered back. "How I've missed you."

He kissed her lips again, deeply, cupping her face in his large hands; she ran her hands through his hair and pulled him closer. He broke away, breathing a bit more heavily, and his eyes were wide. "Not yet. Sabes…Not yet. I still don't completely trust myself with you." She growled, pulling herself back to him.

"Don't give me any of that. Kiss me already."

And so he did.

And all hell broke loose.

Parents.

A hand clamped down on Luce's shoulder, and a pair of knuckles rapped across the top of Sable's skull. "What do you think you're doing, young lady?" her father demanded.

"Dad, I'm seventeen! He's been my boyfriend since I was in eighth grade! I'm almost an adult! I think I'm over that entire hormone thingy!" She had both hands on top of her head, and she glowered up at her dad. "I'm pretty sure he's the guy I want to marry--I haven't seen him in ages--he might have died--I think I should be allowed to kiss him!"

"Not until you're married. Apart. Now."

"Come on, do you want me to have to sneak out? Romeo and Juliet?"

Her dad leveled his steady gaze upon her, and she smiled sheepishly. "You and I both know you're too much of a goody two shoes to do such a thing."

"But--"

"You should be ashamed of yourself," he said. "He was being perfectly honorable and trying to be mature about things, and you had to go and seduce the poor bloke."

_"Dad!_ Please!"

But Luce muttered something along the lines of, "It's true."

She blushed bright red. "I'm sorry, Luce!"

"Luce?" Her dad whirled on him. "What's your name?"

A flush sprang up along the sharp lines of Luce's cheekbones, but he met Sable's father's eyes with his own red orbs and didn't flinch. "My official name is Lucifer."

Sable looked down at her hands to avoid her father's glare. "Luce, I kinda told my parents that your name was Brandon so they wouldn't freak out."

Lucifer nodded. "I see."

"...Your boyfriend. Is named Lucifer. And he has red eyes. And you were trying to seduce him. Where did I go wrong?"

"He's one of the Fallen, Dad--"

"I can see that!"

"Dad! You know them, like Blake and Rodney and the Ninjas? They're all Fallen. They were bred to have the red eyes and fangs and--"

"Fangs!"

"They have black wings, but Luce doesn't--I mean--Oh man I've really put my foot in my mouth, I'm so, so sorry Luce--"

"It's okay, Sabes..."

"But anyway, Zachary Moore made him and called him Lucifer to be a jack--I mean a jerk like that, and yeah and...yeah."

There was a long silence. "He has fangs. You really shouldn't be kissing him."

"I completely agree, sir."

"Luce!" Sable put head in her hands. "Dad, but really..."

"The boy agrees with me."

"Fine. He's leaving soon anyway."

Luce blinked. "I am?"

"Aren't you?"

"We kind of didn't have a plan when we came here...Alex called me a stalker..."

Sable groaned. "At least he's truthful, Dad."

Her dad narrowed his eyes. "We'll see."

Luckily for Luce and for Sable, Alex and Nudge stumbled in, lips locked and suggestive noises coming from them. Sable's dad groaned. "Nudge, Alex, really?"

They sprang apart, both blushing furiously.

"OH!"

"You're home!"

Sable grabbed Luce's arm and dragged him off to her room. Her dad glared down at them. "Keep your door open!"

"I know!"

Luce stared at her with wide eyes. "I am so dead." She couldn't find it in her to disagree, and they sat down on her bottom bunk. There was still a mark in the wall where the hole Emma had made had been plastered over, a cruel remind of how the world was out to get them. Luce stared at it. "Emma's a very messed up little girl."

"Where is she, anyway?" Sable asked, her eyes distant as she too gazed at the wall. "She kind of just dropped under the radar, didn't she?"

Luce shrugged. "She's either still living a horrid life at ITEX with Karen, or she got out of it somehow and is planning...I don't know. I really don't know what she'd do."

She nodded and squeezed their joined hands. Their gazes dropped to their linked fingers, and he rubbed his thumb over her scarred skin. "Sable... Do you happen to know the marriage laws in California?"

"Yeah. We could get married if we had parental consent, birth certificates, and a counselor. At least in California."

"...So no way."

"I could look up other places."

"I'd rather not go behind your parents' backs, you know..."

Surprisingly, Sable smiled. "I'm glad."

"But weren't you just being a rebellious teenager?"

"Yes. Sort of. But it's not really me. You know that."

"Of course I do." He kissed her on the cheek. "I know you so well, it's impossible not to love you."

She hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Luce. Thank you so much."

"Thanking the devil, you are messed up," he teased, and received a smack in return.

* * *

"So, sweetheart," Alex breathed in Nudge's ear. Even then she knew he was about to sweet talk her into something that would probably annoy her. "Do you have any idea where Max might be?"

Nudge frowned. "Why do you_ need _to know?"

"We need a plan, and she usually has plans," Alex said, and propped himself up on his elbows. "So far, all we know is that we want to take down ITEX, get married to our respective gals, and have kids and lead long, happy lives. We need a little help on the first point."

Nudge smiled. "Max is one for plans...I don't know where she is now, and I doubt the others do either. She still gets word to us sometimes, but you know how paranoid she is. She's never traceable. It's gotten worse now that she's got kids of her own. She's taken them and flown off the face of the earth."

"Have you ever been to Canadia?"

"No." Nudge sniggered. "You?"

"No. There's a first time for everything. Would you care to join us on a trip up to the great Canadia, to find Max, to find adventure?"

"It sounds good to me. Like that Diary of a Lovesick Mutant on Fanfiction or something!"

"But we're not as insane about bacon as them."

"Says _you! _You blasphemer."

"Yes, I'm a blaspemer. Watchya gonna do about it?" He leaned over her, eyes daring.

She stuck a hand in his face and wriggled away. "We've been in enough trouble. I'll go make you some bacon."

"But it'll make your breath stink!" He wrinkled his nose and trapped her with his arms. "I don't think I'd like to kiss bacon-lips."

She attempted to squirm away again to no avail. "Alex!" She whined. "Sable's dad's on the prowl. He'll catch us and then you'll have to go."

"But you're coming with me, aren't you?" he purred, and he covered her protest with a deep and sweet kiss.

She kissed him back, ending the kiss with a smile. "Maybe. If bacon is involved."

"I'll treat you to bacon once we reach Canadia."

"Then it's a deal."

Alex tangled his fingers in her hair and tilted his head so that he could kiss her even deeper than before, pulling her to him and thoroughly blowing her mind. Of course they had to be interrupted.

"Just because you're a Senator's son doesn't mean you get to make your own rules!"

Alex groaned and smacked his head on the sloping roof of the attic. "Agh..."

"Alex! I told you we'd be in trouble!" Nudge blushed. "I'm going to make bacon. I abandon you both!"

She departed, and Alex found himself facing Sable's father. He was taller than the man by three inches at 6'3", but he felt as small as a four year old around the older man. It was even worse that Sable's father and his own got along perfectly well; they were thick as thieves.

"So..." He coughed. "How much trouble am I in?"

"I'm telling your parents. Both of them. Read: You are dead."

"Please, sir! Will begging work? Have you no mercy?"

"I'm afraid not."

Alex covered his face with his hand and sighed. "I suppose I must resign myself to my fate. Off with me to my last confession and Last Rights! Off to write my Last Will and Testament! Goodbye, cruel world!" He stalked off with a smile on his face.

"Tell your girlfriend to leave me some bacon, dolt!"

Sable's father sighed and shook his head, smiling. He remembered that age... He was even worse than those two kids. Which was exactly why he had to give them a hard time.

It was the job of the Evilest Dad in the World.

* * *

Sable looked up at Lucifer shyly, messing with her iTouch. He blinked at her. "What are you doing?" She held up a hand. "Okay then." He put his hands in his pockets and waited. He could hear the distant sound of the music in the auditorium across campus, and while he was glad he wasn't in there he wished that he could at least dance with Sable before he had to leave. A make out session would have been welcome, as it always was, but... Luce wondered if that was all she thought of him. A good kisser? He knew he was one, but... There was more to him. Or at least he hoped so.

He frowned to himself, and didn't see Sable's smile.

"Luce. Wakey-wakey."

"Huh?"

He found an earbud being held out to him, and he took it, realizing what was happening. He put it in his ear and his hands found their spot on her waist, and he held her close to him while she fiddled with her iTouch some more, her arms pinned between them. "There." She slipped the iTouch into his shirt pocket and slipped her arms around his neck, clasping her hands and locking him in.

He smiled down at her. "You're a genius, you know that?"

"After running this organization, keeping my grades up, and organizing this little thing--I can safely say that yes, yes I do know that." She winked.

"That's good." His smile widened, and he leaned to breathe on her neck, showing how much better he was doing. "Do you know you're beautiful too?"

"Yes," she said. "I'm humble, too."

"And that's what I love about you." He was proud, of himself, of her, of the world, of everything. Proud and happy. He tightened his grip on her waist and looked down at their feet. They were just sliding side to side, clicking their shoes together each time they swayed to one side or the other.

"I feel like I'm seventh grade again," she said, and pressed her cheek against his chest.

"I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have allowed us to be this close in seventh grade. Not that I ever had a seventh grade."

"Well, you're right on. They wouldn't have let us. I feel so old." She looked up at him again and smiled. "But since you're so tall I don't feel too old." She stood on tiptoes, and she only just came up to his chin.

He put his hand on her head and pushed her back down. "I'll be your brick. You can't grow any bigger."

"But I don't like being so short!"

He leaned down so he was eye to eye with her, and he pressed his lips together in a firm line. "You, Sable, are the cute size. I'm the towering size. Stay the cute size." He kissed her nose and she laughed.

"I was told that once," she said, "by one of the dads of..." Her eyes grew distant. "He was blond... And very, very tall..."

Luce tilted his head to the side and stroked her hair. "What are you going on about Sable?"

She reached up and clasped his hand. "It's a long shot, but James was telling me that his parents lost a baby a few years before him. It might just have been you, Luce."

Luce frowned. "That's really a long shot. Do you really think it's worth checking out?"

"If you want."

But he hesitated. He had never had parents, ever. When he was younger he imagined what it might be like to have them, to have two people to love and protect him, to hug and kiss him and tuck him in at night. But now that he was older, now that he was used to the solitude, now that he was a man himself and had Sable and his Family...

"Maybe someday, but not now," he said. "You're all the family I need."

She stretched up on her toes and he met her halfway, a gentle kiss.

"Thank you."

"Nothing to it."

There was a knock on the door and Sable and Luce dropped to the floor beneath some desks. A flashlight swept across the room through the window, but luckily the security guard didn't see them and moved on. Luce waited for a few moments, then stood and helped Sable up--then he sat down on one of the desks.

Sable found herself pulled onto his lap, and the turned to face him, hugging him tightly. "That was close."

"I've had closer calls." He stroked her back. "When do you want to leave here?"

"I don't," she mumbled. "You have to leave soon."

"Staying here won't help. It'll give me more time alone with you."

"And your dad is going to hate me for that."

"He'll be even more ticked off if we use his classroom." She snickered. "Want to catch a movie?"

"What movie do you have in mind?"

"Whatever is out. Something that's interesting enough to pay attention to if we want to, but something we can ignore if we want each other's full attention."

"You always have my full attention!" Luce pretended to be insulted.

"Yes, only because luckily for me you have the attention span of a gnat. I'm not that interesting, a movie on the other hand…that's made to be interesting!"

He shook his head at her and pulled her close, leaning in so that their noses touched. "There is nothing more interesting than you, Sable. Believe me."

"Aw shucks."

* * *

"Get away from that stove before you hurt yourself."

Ella laughed and laughed at Iggy's deadpan face. "Come on Iggy, I'm not that bad. And it's not like it's out to get me."

"You're a worse cook than your sister. Just let me do it. Please."

"Fine!" She backed away with her hands up. "Have at it. Do you even know how to make this recipe?"

He snorted and brushed his fingertips over the mess she'd made, trying to figure out where everything was and what was out. "Now, I've never made it before, but I know how to." He winked roguishly. "I'm epic like that."

"Are you sure you just aren't full of yourself?"

"Oooooh, denied!" Gazzy's voice came from somewhere between them. Iggy smacked his hand against the counter.

"Gazzy! Seriously!"

Gazzy laughed. "What's for dinner?" he asked, leaning over Iggy's hunched shoulders to peer at the ingredients laid out on the counter.

Iggy smacked him away. "Nothing for you if you keep annoying me, kid," he grumbled.

"Jeez, you're all boring now that your paired up." He dodged another swipe from Iggy. "I'm going, I'm going. Who needs something to drink if this is the way I'm going to be treated. Pah."

Ella laughed and moved to sit on a stretch of empty counter, but Iggy helped up a hand. "Oh no you don't," he said. "Grab me some bacon while I get this heated, will you?"

"Bacon?" Ella repeated as she opened the fridge. "Seriously, Iggy, I think this is unhealthy. That recipe does not call for bacon whatsoever."

"Who cares if it's unhealthy? It'll be delicious. Trust me."

She handed him the package, and he gave it his most disgusted expression. "Empty? I could have sworn there was a full pack this morning at breakfast!" He narrowed his blind eyes in comical suspicion, and then he spun to face the giggling of Nudge and Catlyn. "You! I never heard the microwave or the griddle--did you eat my bacon _raw?"_

"No." They snickered. "We gave it to the neighbors just to annoy you."

Iggy's face fell. "Why? Why would you do something like that? Don't you love bacon? I thought you loved being unhealthy!"

"Hey, we ate it with the neighbors. Didn't you miss us this morning?" Catlyn pouted. "I guess we know how much we're noticed, Nudge."

"Yeah, they're too busy making out and making googly eyes to pay attention to the rest of us." Nudge shook her head sadly. "It's depressing."

Iggy ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. "Pot calling the kettle black, _Nudgie,"_ he said teasingly.

Nudge blushed. "I hate it when you all call me that!"

"But what about your pet cat?"

"Shut it Iggy! He's not supposed to call me it either!"

Iggy smirked and shrugged. "Right." He turned and looked in Ella's general direction. "Let's go to the store. We need more bacon, and we're out of eggs." She shook her head and grabbed her keys. He turned to Nudge and Catlyn just as he was walking out the door. "How was breakfast, by the way?"

"Baconliscious!"

"Urgh!" He ruffled their hair as he passed. "So, Ella," he said as he got into the passenger seat of her car.

"Hm?" She looked at him once she was buckled. "What is it Iggy?"

"I was wondering what you got me for my birthday."

She rolled her eyes. "Way to be subtle."

He grinned. "That's what I'm best at."

Ella sighed dramatically and stopped at a light. "Do you really want me to tell you the day before your birthday? It's tomorrow, not today, right?"

"Yeah... Oh! You need to help me pick out what kind of cake I want."

"Lots of chocolate."

"Strawberries!"

"If you know what you want, then why did you ask?"

"Because I like asking you." He grinned. "I'll make it chocolate, with chocolate and vanilla icing...or maybe just vanilla, with strawberries all on top. Maybe an ice cream center, just because."

Ella shook her head. "How about we compromise--chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream in the center, with strawberry sauce, frosting, and fresh berries?"

Iggy nodded. "I like how you think!"

She smiled and parked. "Of course you do."

* * *

"I can't believe that the bacon actually made the soup taste good! I never thought it could go together with that--that green stuff!"

Iggy laughed and swung his and Ella's joined hands. They were taking an evening stroll to the park together, just the two of them. "I told you I was epic!" He picked her up and swung her around. "Why did you ever doubt me?"

She kissed him as he set her down. "You're turning twenty-three, Iggy! Geeze. I can't believe it..."

"Remember when we first met?"

"Yeah. You'd blown up Max's underwear."

"She ate _all_ the cookie dough! Even after I _told _her not too!" Iggy gave a pained sigh and he stopped at the edge of the duck pond. A family of them was floating along a distance away, and Iggy brought out a piece of stale bread from his pocket and handed it to Ella. She began breaking it in her fingers, and she frowned to herself.

"Iggy... When did you first realize you loved me?"

He frowned. "I dunno. I remember you started liking me, and I woulda been fine with that, but you were Max's sister so I didn't want to mess around." He shrugged. "I think it was how friendly you always were that got me to stop avoiding you and actually look at you. You are beautiful, by the way. When you laugh, when you sing, when you try to figure something out...it's not so cute when you try to cook. That's frightening."

She scowled and hit him with her elbow. "Thanks."

"Don't I get brownie points for the rest?"

"Only because you make the brownies--oh wait! That's Beth. Sorry, no points for you." He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her waist as she threw some breadcrumbs into the pond. She exhaled happily and leaned back into his embrace. "I think I first realized I loved you when your refrigerator bomb blew up more violently than you expected and my hair caught fire. You'd gotten pretty banged up yourself, but you still came over and put the fire out before paying attention to how hurt you were."

"So you like how macho and chivalrous I am, ignoring my own pain and taking care of you." He smiled against her hair.

"Maybe." She closed her eyes happily. "Maybe it's that, and how you always seemed to try a bit harder for me than anyone else, once you started liking me. You can be such a jerk." She wrinkled her nose. "And yet you were nicer to me. I like to think it wasn't just because of who my sister was."

He lost his smile. "She still scares me, and I haven't seen her in months."

"Actually, she contacted me last night via email. She had a message for you."

"Well, you kind of need to hear what I have to say first to understand, but she says that the next time she sees you, she's going to kill you." Ella laughed nervously.

"Great." Iggy gulped and attempted to resettle himself in her hair. "Can you cheer me up about my demise Ella? Tell me your news. What did I destroy of Max's this time?"

"You didn't destroy anything."

"What did I do?"

She turned around and looked up at him stonily. "Iggy, we're going to have a baby."

He froze. "...What?"

"We've had sex a million times, Iggy. It's not like you haven't been ready for something like this. Right?" She gave him a dubious look. "I know you know how biology works, you used to tease poor Fang about it all the time."

"Yes, but...it's just...we hadn't...so I didn't think we would..." His hands dropped down to her stomach. "How long...?"

"Only a couple of weeks."

He had the good grace to blush. "When are we going to tell everyone?" He could feel the weight of her silence and her exasperated smile pushing at him. He groaned. "They all know, don't they? I'm the last to find out!"

She snickered and nodded. "They're making bets on the sex and the birth date." Ella looked up at him shyly. "Max also said that I should ask you to marry me, take the lead, wear the pants in the relationship..."

"Max is being her dumb, impatient self." He kissed her forehead. "Give me a chance to get a ring first, and then I'll ask you."

"Who're you fooling, Iggy?" Ella asked rhetorically, and she laughed at his expression. "Kate saw you come home with it."

He beamed. "Well…you see, I don't have it with me…" Ella jabbed him in the chest.

"Fork over my ring, Iggy."

He fished around in his jacket pockets, and in his jeans, and he patted himself down, a perplexed look on his face. "I'm serious," he said in reply to her eye roll. "I had it in my pocket, but..."

Now she frowned. "Are you sure? Could it have fallen out, or one of the others have taken it as a joke, or...?"

"No, they wouldn't do that..." He turned. "I felt someone touch my ass, but geeze, I thought it was an accident. I didn't think it was a pervert thief. Do you remember that guy who brushed past us--smelled like cologne?"

"Yeah. He was wearing a really ratty coat and--there he is!"

They took after him. After a few moments, Iggy ripped off his jacket and handed it to Ella, and then he unfurled his wings and shot after the thief. Now, he wasn't a supersonic flier like Max and he wasn't a speedster like Dominic, but this was important. He managed to get an extra burst of speed and he caught up with the smelly guy. "Hey, jerk! I was about to propose!"

The man's unsteady footsteps helped Iggy pinpoint exactly where he was and tackle him from the air. "Give it back!"

The guy grunted frantically and rolled away, and Iggy heard him draw something metallic. Ella shouted, "Knife!" but Iggy had already guessed and dodged an attack. He ducked under another swipe and rammed his shoulder into the man's solar plexus; the man had the air knocked from his lungs and he wheezed, giving Iggy enough time to grab the blade and toss it away. His hand stung terribly because he'd gripped the knife by its blade on accident, but no matter. He grabbed the guy by the collar and lifted him into the air, doing his best to glare at where he thought the man's eyes were.

"Grab the ring, drop it on the ground, maybe I'll let you live."

The man gasped and Iggy could hear him struggling, either trying to get the ring or to get away he wasn't sure. Then he heard the clatter as something fell to the ground. His voice was like ice. "Ella, was that the ring?"

"Yes."

"Alright. Sir, I am going to let you go now. Run. If you try to hurt us, or take the ring, I will not let you get away again." Iggy dropped the man and waited for the panicked, labored breathing to fade away with the man's presence. Then he dropped on all fours and began searching for the ring. "Where'd it go?" he muttered.

"I got it." Ella helped him up, and then jerked her hand away. "Your hand's bleeding, Iggy--"

Iggy took the ring from her despite the pain in his hand, and he got on one knee. "I am doing this right now, before anything else happens to stop us!" He took a deep breath, and, taking her hand again, held the ring out to her. "Ella Martinez, will you marry me?"

"Yes, you stubborn pyro. Now put the ring on my finger and stop staining my shirt." He grinned at her, slid the ring onto her hand, and stood to kiss her. Then he slid his hand across her chest suggestively--getting blood all across her clothes. "Iggy, you jerk! My mom got this for my birthday!"

She chased him all the way home.


	53. Chapter 53: Comfort

Alex and Luce stood in the doorway, waving the others off. "We got him into this mess, we'll get him out just fine," Alex assured them.

"I'm just worried that this is one huge trap," Ana said, and caught Nicky as he tried to tackle his sister. "They've got a conscience, says Sable and says that one doctor, but--who knows?"

Luce shrugged. "We've got to risk it. We can't just leave him there and we can't take more people than we have to just in case. Alex and I should be fine."

Anna Marie tugged on Alex's sleeve. "Uncle Ally, can I go on a mission too? I'm a big girl, like Auntie Nudge! I can do it! I promise I won't get in the way..."

He ruffled her hair and kissed her forehead. "'Fraid not, Dandelion. I need someone to do the big task of making sure Auntie Nudge doesn't get in trouble, can you and Nicky do that for me?"

Her face fell and she shuffled away. "I don't think I can do _that."_

He caught her shoulder. "Sure you can, Annie. Just have her read a story to you. She loves to read."

"Fine." She hugged him. "Come back home soon, Uncle Alex!" She turned to Luce and hugged his legs. "You too!"

Luce patted her head and waved to everyone as he and Alex headed out the door. He smiled at Sable. "Call me after you've talked to that doctor again?"

She nodded. "As soon as I get off. And Luce?" She poked him in the ribs. "If you have to put Dom in a straitjacket and drag him here by his feet, do it."

He laughed. "You really think I'd let him drag me away?" He stroked her hair before leaping off after Alex. "I'll see you when we get back. Alex! I'm driving!" Luce wrestled Alex out of the driver's seat and with one last wave to their Family, they drove off. They stopped at McD's for a very light lunch before continuing south. Apparently the ITEX facility was the one down in the desert, where Max and the others had been raised until Jeb had rescued them. This meant that they had about a five hour drive to look forward to.

Luce kept glancing at his phone. Alex rolled his eyes. "She'll call. Besides, it's illegal to be on the phone while driving. Which is why I should have been the driver."

"Shut up." Luce scowled. "I drive better than you even when I'm on the phone."

Alex pouted. "I'm not that--yes I am." He grinned, and picked up the phone just as it rung. "Why hello there, dearest Juliet. Your Romeo's driving at the moment, but he's giving me puppy dog eyes so I have the feeling he's missing you just as much as you miss him, if not more."

"More. I don't miss him a bit."

"You hear that Luce? Oooh, Luce just nodded, and he looks hurt. Gosh, you're mean Sabes," Alex teased. "Anyway, 'sup?"

"Dr. Zenaida says to drive until you reach a sign that says, 'Turn Back - Attack Horse - Go Away' in red paint on a very old wooden sign. Should look like an insane person wrote it. There should also be one of the green street signs with some spray paint on it with the roman numerals for thirteen on it. Tell me when you get there."

"Will do. Did you get a chance to ask how Dom is?"

"Yeah, he's apparently alright. He hasn't taken a shower since before he got there, though, so I'm warning you to plug your noses."

Alex wrinkled his nose. "He's trying to compete with Gazzy now. I didn't realize they'd become rivals."

Sable laughed and Luce pulled over and held out his hand for the phone. Alex leaned away. "Nuh-uh! I'm talking to your girlfriend."

Luce glowered. "We're where she told us to be, you can drive from here if you let me talk and try not to kill us." Alex immediately dropped the phone in Luce's lap and jumped out of the car, ran around to the driver's side, and dragged Luce out. Luce found himself stranded outside the car and Alex bouncing up and down in the driver's seat. "It's a wonder the Senator even lets him walk five feet by himself," Luce muttered. He held the phone up to his ear as he walked around the car and got in. "Hi, Sable."

"Hey, Luce. Tell Alex to head southwest at thirty miles per hour, for fourteen miles."

"Alex, you get that?"

"Of course! Woaaaah!"

Luce glared. "Sable, how did he get a license?"

"I think he either bribed or seduced the teacher."

"That would not surprise me… Does Nudge know?"

"Luce!"

"Eyes on the road!"

They lapsed into companionable silence, interrupted every now and then by swearing on Luce's part and frantic apologies on Alex's, with laughter on Sable's end. Finally, Alex stopped. "Now what?"

"Now flash your headlights three times and honk twice shortly, and twice long." They did so, and a little red Smart Car appeared from behind a random cactus and did the same before driving off.

"Okay, Sabes. We're following. Who'da thunk that ITEX'd be driving Smart Cars..."

"It's a sign they're wising up and trying not to be noticed. I mean, nothing screams evil like Smart Cars. Anyway. In about twenty minutes the car'll turn a sharp corner behind a rock formation, and you'll have to count to ten-Mississippi before following. The facility gates will be right there."

"Will Open Sesame have any effect?"

Sable laughed softly. "I doubt it."

Alex drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as they waited. When they reached ten and came to the gate, the car from before was parked right there and the driver was talking to the guard. The guard looked ready to stop them, but the scientist waved them on. "They're with me. Now, about this latest upgrade in security, it's not letting me in in the mornings..."

The guard turned his attention back to the driver, and Alex waved as they passed. They followed the arrows painted on the ground through the facilities, and discovered that it was probably the size of a small city. They were quickly getting lost, and their nerves were fraying. Finally, they were met by a man they guessed was Dr. Zenaida, who pointed them to an open parking spot. When they got out, they got out quickly and cautiously. Both Alex and Luce were ready to fight out of there if they so much as smelled something funky.

Dr. Zenaida gave them a friendly smile and handed them ID tags that labeled them as visitors. The boys just kind of stared at him.

"There's no way that this face isn't going to be recognized," Luce said, gesturing to his scarred mug.

"And I've been on TV and on all the magazines for 'hottest dude ever'. I don't think I can get away unrecognized either."

Eric laughed, and it wasn't the kind of laugh that jarred their nerves. Of course, that made them all the more wary, as all the _nice _people who were at ITEX were either controlled, meaning that this was a trap; or insane, meaning that this was just as, if not more, dangerous. Nevertheless, Dr. Zenaida didn't seem to mind their wary, narrowed gazes. "The name tags are just a formality that gives us an excuse to say, 'We don't know their faces, so when they told us their names were Joe and James, we had no reason for suspicion.' Keeps us out of trouble. But anyway, let's go inside. Dom's waiting just a few doors in for you guys."

When he didn't receive a response, Dr. Zenaida's smile cracked a bit. He turned abruptly and led them up to the front doors of ITEX. They stopped at the receptionist's desk, where a man in casual clothes stood behind the primly dressed secretary. "Hello, gentlemen," he said pleasantly and shook their hands. "I'm the manager. It's an honor to have you."

The boys were silent, and the manager was about to speak to Dr. Zenaida when there was a loud boom as if a semi-truck had hit the building, and every door in the facility flew open. The manager vaulted over the desk and ran outside, while Luce and Alex ran to the doors as well--for a different reason. Alex and Luce had been friends with Iggy and Gazzy long enough to know what had caused it.

A bomb.

They stood on the doorstep looking out across the huge campus in search of what had caused the noise and the shock wave, and they saw a huge plume of dark smoke billowing up from one of the buildings down wind. Definitely a bomb, and a large one.

Alex and Lucifer glanced at one another before running back inside. Upon seeing Dr. Zenaida standing ashen-faced and with a gun in his shaking hands, Lucifer, the taller of the two, grabbed the doctor by the shirt collar and slammed him against the nearest wall, fangs bared. The gun clattered to the floor and the doctor gasped and his trembling worsened under the terrible serpentine gaze that was centimeters from his face, and the hot, nasty breath that blew across his face only added to his instinctive terror. This Fallen was a killer.

Both of them knew it.

"Where the hell is Dominic?"

"Building C-31--follow the hall and the signs--"

Lucifer dropped the doctor to the floor and took off down the hallway at a run. Alex followed just as quickly, and the two skidded down the slick, well-waxed length of white tile following the signs to C-31. They passed E- and D- 1 through 200 it seemed, and finally entered a locked-down section of the building. A ball of ice settled in their guts as they realized what terrible luck they had.

C-31 was the building which had been bombed.

"Dom!" Lucifer and Alex shouted over the roar of a fire down the hall. "Dom, where are you?"

They couldn't hear any sound of him, and his scent was lost beneath the smoke and the bomb smell that still lingered in the building. Alex immediately picked up his phone and dialed Sable's number. It seemed like he listened to the ringing for an eternity and, moving away from the crackling fire and plugging one ear, he wished that she would pick up faster.

"Sable," he said grimly when she finally picked up, "someone just set off a bomb--not ITEX, they're just as freaked as we are. We can't find Dom in the mess, and this place is huge. ITEX usually gives their patients a bracelet or a chip to track their movements at least within the buildings. You think you could get Nudge to hack into the system and locate Dom for us?"

"I'm sure she'll love to. Hold on. Keep looking while she works, we'll tell you when we find him."

Lucifer appeared out of the wreckage of the room where the bomb seemed to have originated; he was covered in dirt, grime, smoke, sweat, and what looked like blood. His lips were thin and his skin under the smoke and ash was pale. "There was a conference going," he said through his teeth. "They're all dead. Ripped to shreds. Not just that room either. This entire side of the building. Flying glass." Alex felt sick, and Luce looked like he was about to be. Alex turned so that he wouldn't have to see.

"Oh God," Sable murmured. She had heard Luce's report. "This is terrible... It's going to be blamed on us. Shit." Alex gritted his teeth. "I am going to track down whoever did this and slap them silly. Killing ITEX employees isn't going to freaking help us. Damn it." Her throat was tight and her voice was swollen with anger and tears; Alex couldn't find a reply.

"Um, Nudge says that Dom should be in a corridor branching off of B-23's primary conference room."

Luce and Alex immediately took off and they passed through a portion of the building that had its roof on the ground, and another had a layer of water five inches deep across its length. Finally, Alex and Luce reached B-23 and began looking for the conference rooms. "It's labeled as Conference Room 3," was all Nudge could add.

After ten more minutes of searching, they found the empty meeting room and the door that led to a dark hallway. The doors leading to it were closed and there were no windows, so it was very dark, but Alex and Luce's keen eyes could pick up the glow of Dom's wide eyes and his shadowy form huddled deep within the corridor. They didn't need to ask what he was doing in there, because his haunted eyes told them all they already knew. No windows meant no flying glass. He had seen what had happened to the others.

"Hey, Dom," Alex said softly. "Let's get out of here."

Dom didn't move, and Alex stepped closer to reach for his friend's arm. Just then, another loud boom shook the floor. Dom dropped to the ground and covered his head. Alex steadied himself against the wall, and Luce dodged out of the way of the door swinging shut with violent force. It caught him in the back and he sank to his knees, his teeth sinking into his lip to stifle a cry of pain. They were silent as they finally righted themselves. Alex put an arm over Dom's shaking wings and shoulders.

They slowly began the trek out and to the car, bypassing all the doctors and managers and dead bodies as best they could. They reached the car without incident and drove out the gates unhindered. Dr. Zenaida watched from the doors of ITEX as they drove away.

Dominic reeked of refuse, unwashed skin, stale sweat, fresh blood, smoke, and vomit. Twenty five miles out of sight of the facilities, Dom rolled down his window and hung himself out of it, his wings smacking and straining against the sides of the window, and his grip on the side of the car white-knuckled and slipping. Luce rested his forehead on the steering wheel, and Alex closed his eyes.

The phone rang and each of them started; Luce picked up, pressing speaker and setting it on the dashboard.

"You alright, guys? We heard another blast and then lost the signal or something."

"Yeah." Luce sighed and flinched as Dominic was violently sick again. "No."

"Come home, alright?"

"NO!" Dom bellowed, and smacked his head on the top edge of the window. He let loose a few F-bombs and clutched his head. "Damnit, no! I'm not going back!"

Luce sighed again, and Alex handed Dom a water bottle. "We'll argue it later," Alex said softly. "For now, I just want to get back to Nudge. Even if she has to fly out half way... I promised I'd take her along with me."

Dom groaned and dry-heaved before collapsing in the back seat. "Fine, you jack--"

"Dom, just because you have your flipping voice back and you're flipping pissed off and you have a pole up your flipping scrawny butt doesn't mean you can start cussing. It was bad enough in your own language, now you have to share it with the rest of the world and polite company!"

"You, deary, ain't polite company--"

"You bet I ain't, you jack--"

"Sable, Dom, shut the heck up!" Alex roared. "I will duct tape both your mouths shut! Now be quiet!"

Luce sat up slowly and began driving again. "Sable, tell Nudge to meet us at the park across from the McDonald's on E street."

"Alright... Couldn't you and Alex come by, if Dom proves unmovable?"

"No, I don't trust him alone. I'm sorry, Sable."

She sighed, and Dom looked down. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "But..."

"It's okay, Dom," Sable said with a bitter edge. "Really. Just get to E street as fast as you can."

* * *

Lucifer limped out of the car and onto the empty playground as best he could, his back screaming in protest with each step. When the door to Dom's hiding place had swung in the force of that second blast, he had just gotten out of the way enough for the doorknob to smack him in the spine, hard. Luckily he hadn't been turned into a shish kabob, but he had hit something that made his back and ribs flare with agony every time he inhaled.

Nudge was hugging Alex tightly under a swing set, her arms 'round his neck, smoothing his hair and whispering comforting words to him. Her eyes were dark with sorrow. Dom was fast asleep in the car, and no one felt like waking the sour puss. Sable ran up to Luce and took one look at him before she demanded, "What hurts?" and opened the first aid kit she had been dragging behind her.

"I don't know, something in my back." He was already tugging at his shirt and hissing through his teeth in pain. "Could you take a look?"

"Yeah, sure."

Her face didn't even color as he pulled off his T-shirt, and she focused on his face and not his scarred, lean-muscled chest and abdomen. But as he turned around, her eyes widened; Luce heard her sharp intake of breath and panicked. "What's wrong?" he asked, frightened.

Sable moved closer, her fingers extended but hesitating. "I've never seen what happened to you," she said sadly, softly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't..."

His shoulders tensed, his muscles rippling under his skin. "Is it really bad? Still?" His voice was weary, but held no trace of bitterness. He had gotten over the angst years ago, when it first happened. He was only sad now, and a bit embarrassed. He half-turned to hide it from her.

"No, not health wise... Just... It looks so..." She avoided his eyes but gave in to the urge and trailed her fingers lightly across his back, where some feathers still grew even after all this time, and where his muscles were taught under her touch, and where the remnants of his wings remained. They were just a pair of lumps under his skin, angry red, viciously scarred, and very ugly.

Luce turned to face Sable and met her haunted eyes. He put his hands on her shoulders and squeezed them comfortingly. "It's alright," he said gently. "I'm not offended, so don't worry about it." She gave a sad sigh and put her hands on his bare waist, fondling a loose down-feather. "It's not your fault, Sable. There's no way you can think that--"

"I don't," she said. "Can't I just be sad that you had to go through that at all? Can't I just be sad that you've lost your wings? Can't I just feel bad for _you?"_ He carefully sat her down on the metal bars that led to the slide, and even so she only came up to his nose. He kissed her forehead and her hair and she pressed her face against his shoulder, hugging him tightly. "By the way," she said as he rubbed up and down her back, "you look fine. You probably'll have a nasty bruise, but an Icy Hot should be all you need."

"An Icy Hot and a little love sounds good," he murmured.

* * *

"Mom?" Eleven's voice floated into my dream, interrupting it rudely. My eyes snapped open and I sat up slowly, narrowing my eyes against the darkness and fuzz of sleep. Eleven's shadowy form was to my left; he was on his knees, and his eyes gleamed in the moonlight. "Mom?"

"Hey, sweetie," I said groggily and found one of his hands. It was wide and flat and warm like Fang's, but smaller. His thin fingers curled around mine and he rubbed the back of my hand against his cheek. The muscles in his jaw flexed. "You get scared again?"

He nodded. "Can I sleep with you?"

"Of course." I sat up on my branch and put my back to the trunk, pulling him to my lap. He rested his head on my breast and wrapped his gangly arms around my waist. I ran my fingers through his matted, unwashed hair. "You know, sweetheart, you stink."

"No, you stink."

"No, you!"

He smiled against my shirt. "We both stink."

I poked his cheek. "You stink more though."

"Mom!"

"Mommy has spoken!"

Eleven shook his head but hugged me more tightly. I looked down at him and my heart swelled. Then I felt something hit us softly and we both looked at Ten who was smiling groggily. "Quiet! I'm trying to sleep." He yawned, and I could smell his breath from where I was. I needed to clean these kids.

I rubbed Eleven's back.

"I think it's time for another bath."

"NO!"

"Do you want worms to grow out of your skin and eat you alive?" I asked, adopting my scariest voice. Ten's face was filled with horror. Eleven rolled his eyes and flipped his hair in a way that made me wonder if he really had been cooped up in ITEX all of his life. He would fit in with thirteen year olds, this kid, with the attitude.

"Yeah right," he said.

"It is true! I'm not going to let you find out about it though." I looked over at Ten. "Are we going back to sleep now or are we up kiddo?"

"Sleep if it's bath time!" He grinned at his brother. I rolled my eyes.

"Come on," I said, and sighed. "We should seriously go check in to a hotel. I don't want you to get lice, and ITEX'd be able to smell us a mile away."

"We'll beat 'em up! We're epic ninjas now!"

"Nice try." I stretched. "Ninjas bathe, pirates don't. You just agreed to bathe."

I finally managed to get them in the air via kicking them out of the tree, literally, and soon we were landing in a busy city at 5 AM in the morning. I made sure their wings were as hidden as I could get them under their jackets, hid my own, and then led them by the hand out into the 2 AM crowd. From checking at a city map, I determined we'd have to take a bus to get to the nearest cheap hotel. I sat them down at a bus stop and stood behind the bench, leaning against the graffitied glass of the overhang. I closed my eyes for a moment, exhausted.

"Mommy!"

I felt someone grab my phone out of my pocket, and I grabbed the person's arm and twisted, kneeing him in the groin and grabbing my phone before it could fall to the ground. I called him a very bad name, and smacked him over the head. He fell to the ground unconscious and curled up; and then I realized that my backpack was hanging open and it was now considerably lighter. I spun around and saw someone with a long red braid running away with my wallet.

"Damn!" I glanced at the boys. "Eleven, take care of your brother, and stay here. _Do not leave._ Don't let anyone touch you." I ran off, trusting Eleven to follow orders.

The girl was fast. She ducked and swerved easily through clusters of people, and took off at a dead run when the way was clear. Angry at her for stealing my stuff and making me have to leave my kids, moved by an outside force inside my head, I dove headlong into trouble without thinking about it.

I chased after the redhead. Being a thief, she was an expert at dodging around groups of startle people. Then again, so was I. I gained on her when she made the mistake of running down an empty street. With no one there to get in the way, I sprinted after her. I tackled her, and ripped my belongings from her hands as I stood.

"Thank you."

She rolled over and grinned at me. Not good.

Before I could even blink, someone kicked me in the butt and I was sent into a faceplant on the cement. Blood poured down my chin, and then the girl jumped on my back and pinned my arms to the pavement with her knees. "Got you, Max II!"

I knew that voice.

"Lissa? What the heck are you doi—what the heck are you talking about, I'm not Max II!"

"Save it!" the red-haired girl said cheerfully. "You can't trick me!"

"Nice job, Lissa," my voice said from behind me. I looked up to stare at a pair of Converse just like mine. "I'd say long time no see, Max, 'cept I looked in the mirror just this morning."

I glared up at my clone as she leaned down to examine me. "Did you cut out a tangle this morning?" she asked curiously. "'Cause I could have sworn you had a chunk of hair right there... Oh well. No one'll notice."

I spit at her. "What the heck do you think you're doing?

She didn't answer my question. "Don't worry about the boys," she said, and grinned at my obvious horror and fury. "I'll take _good_ care of them."

* * *

Ten bounced up and down trying to catch a glimpse of Max. Eleven elbowed him.

"Knock it off, she'll be back."

"But what if she can't find us? Or she beat up the thief too bad and got took to jail?"

Eleven grabbed Ten's arm and made his little brother look him in the eye. "A little thing like jail wouldn't stop our mom," he said firmly. "She's probably lecturing the idiot about how he's a jackass or something. Don't worry."

Ten seemed more focused on shouting, "YOU SWORE!" over and over, adding, "Mom's gonna make you wash your mouth with soap!"

"Shuddup!"

"No!" The wrestled for a while, and Eleven managed to clamp his hand over his brother's mouth only to promptly let go when Ten caught sight of their mother and licked him. "Gross!"

"MOM! Mom, he swore!"

"No I didn't!"

Max sighed. "Kid, don't swear. You're too young."

Eleven froze. He gave his mom a wary look and slowly asked, "No soap, right, Mom?"

She blinked. "No soap," she said, and she seemed bemused. "Anyway, we were headed to the hotel right?"

"Yeah, and baths," Ten said miserably. "We missed the bus though."

"Well, we can always walk."

"But it's too far to walk, and we can't fly there 'cause there's people." Ten frowned at her. "That's why we take the bus."

She smacked her forehead. "Oh, duh! Sorry, got a little caught up with that stupid thief, my brain's gone flying out the window. Sorry, guys. We'll catch the next bus. How about some Gushers?"

"Gushers, yay," Ten said, but he was lacking his usual enthusiasm. When he received the pack of snacks, he held it in his hands and just looked at it for a while. Max coughed. "Thanks, Mo--Max," Ten mumbled. Eleven elbowed him. Ten elbowed him back. Soon they were fighting again, and Max stepped in and broke them up just before she received a phone call. She told them to hold on a moment, and then moved a little ways away. Ten immediately rounded on his brother. "That's not Mom," he whispered.

"It's not," Eleven agreed. "Mom'd kill me for cussin' 'round you. But we can't let this person know we know they're not Mom, 'kay? We gotta act natural."

Why?" Ten scowled at him.

Eleven rolled his eyes. "In case she slips up and tells us what happened to Mom, don't you know anything?"

Ten wrinkled his nose, but agreed. When Max came back he couldn't manage a smile at her, but slipped his hand into hers. "What we gonna do now?" He glared at Eleven without her noticing.

Max flipped her hair. "We have to wait for the next bus. It should be here in fifteen minutes or so."

They reached the hotel without incident, although neither Ten nor Eleven spoke the entire ride. In the elevator they kept their silence, and they were silent when they got to their room as well. Ten broke it. "Bath time," he said softly. He glanced at Eleven almost fearfully. "Can he take a shower with me?"

Max seemed perplexed, and rather disgusted at the idea, but she didn't beg for explanation. She merely sighed and nodded. "Sure, fine," she said. "Need me?"

Both the boys shook their heads, and, accepting a change of clothes each from the backpack, they scurried into the bathroom and locked the door. Eleven leaned against the door, his ear pressed up against it. Ten understood the need to be silent.

Finally, Eleven came back and he sighed. Wordlessly, he hugged his little brother tightly. Ten hugged him back. They were silent for a while, until Eleven said, "You can take a shower first, I'll just sit here." He pushed Ten and sat down on the toilet seat, extending a wing and plucking at a few stray feathers. The shower turned on and Eleven heard Ten step into it, and Eleven mulled over what he'd heard.

"Sure, I'll meet you tomorrow. I'll bring the boys. I'm sure they'll just _love _to meet you."

Who had this strange woman been talking to? What kind of trap could this be?

"Hey Ten?"

He heard Ten pause in scrubbing. "Yeah?"

"We're gonna get away as soon as we can," Eleven whispered in a rush. "It doesn't matter if she slips up about Mom or not, she's taking us to meet somebody and we're not gonna meet a whitecoat."

"Yeah," Ten said softly through the rushing of water. "I know. We can find Dad if we have to."

"Mhm." Eleven sighed. "I don't remember where Mom said he went though, but I do remember Auntie Sable's address."

"And I remember her email and her phone number," Ten replied excitedly.

"Great. We can try to get her to leave us alone long enough to escape, and if that don't work then we can sneak away when she sleeps."

"Maybe she'll mention Mom before then." Ten turned the water off and grabbed a towel. "I smell like a girl!" he complained.

Eleven grinned. "Luckily for us, it won't last for long."

"Thank goodness!"

They both jumped when Max pounded on the door. "Are you done yet? What do you want to eat?"

"Not done yet!" Eleven shouted back.

"Corn dogs!" Ten shouted, and went to towel off. Eleven stripped and got into the shower. Ten sat down on the tile, rolling up the cuffs of his too-big jeans. "You think Dad'll be okay?" he asked

"Of course Dad'll be okay. Why wouldn't he be? He has Angel and Uncle Trin."

"It's just…" Ten began chewing on his nails. "Beta—Mom was telling Auntie Ana that she was worried Beta might come back again, and this time hurt Dad…"

"That won't happen." Eleven tried to sound confident but his voice faltered. "Dad's tough."

Ten continued to chew his nails, and Eleven sighed. He was just as scared and nervous as his brother, but he couldn't afford to show it. Instead of curling up on the floor of the shower like he wanted to, he glared at Ten. "You know Mom doesn't want you to chew your nails," he said quietly. "Come on, everything will be all right."

Ten huffed. He stopped chewing his nails and stared emotionlessly at the floor. "You've said that before. And Mom has too."

"We've come this far."

"Yeah." He started chewing his nails again. "Waiting for everything sucks."

Eleven turned off the shower and stepped out, drying himself off and getting dressed quickly before shaking his head like a wet dog would shake its body, and then he took a towel and began wiping down his brother's wings. Ten shivered and hugged his knees.

"You need to be more silly sometimes."

Eleven paused. "Is now the time to be silly?"

"You sound like Mom." Ten snickered. "No, I'm just sayin'."

"You know," his brother said after a moment's thought, "I never did take you up on that ninja fort pillow fight."

Ten spun around and hugged his brother tightly. Eleven smiled and smoothed Ten's mop of inky hair away from his pale face, only to find Ten sniffling and his eyes leaking tears. His smile softened. "Come on," he said. "Ninjas don't cry."

"I'm only half-ninja," Ten snuffled, and wiped his eyes.

* * *

Lissa yanked the brush through her hair for the millionth time, flicking Sam in the face with her hair for the millionth time as well. He batted her hair away.

"Cut it out Lissa, nobody is going to care how your ponytail looks."

"But—"

"From what Max said, the boys are ten and eleven. Are you really such a pedo that you have to fuss over your hair for them? Or do you like Max?"

"Oh shut up!" Lissa glared at him. "You know that's _your_ gig, not mine."

"Whatever. Hurry up. If we keep her waiting she'll have a fit." He marched ahead and Lissa made faces at his back.

Joey appeared beside her, and she blinked. "Where'd you come from, Joey?" she asked. He merely grinned. "Well, what do _you_ think?"

He lost his smile. "I don't deal with relationships and girls," he said pompously. "I have more important matters to consider!"

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Lissa rolled her eyes. "Look, I don't even wanna know. What did you do with the evil Max? I thought you were guarding her, not meeting the boys."

"Oh, don't worry about her," he said smugly. "She won't be bothering us for a while. Besides, I want to check in with our Max."

"Oh, good." They stopped in front of the hotel. "This is the right one, isn't it?" Sam squinted. "They'll be on the second floor?"

Lissa and Joey nodded, and they walked on inside. When they reached the second floor, they traversed the halls until they found the right room. Joey did the knocking.

A harassed looking Max appeared at the door. "Come in, come in." She shut the door behind them. "The kids are in the next room. Apparently Eleven sleepwalks. They should be up soon."

Lissa immediately ran to the door to the next room and peered around the edge to try and catch a glimpse of the kids, who, she was absolutely sure, were two very cute Kindergartners with wide, sad eyes and pale faces who just happened to have very cute little battle scars and pitiful nightmares.

When the door slammed on her fingers, then opened to reveal a _very_ angry looking Eleven, she was proven wrong.

"Stay out of our room," Eleven hissed. His eyes were dark and furious, but inside he was frightened. He had planned on running away before this, but this "Max" lady hadn't given the boys any warning that the people were coming and this visitor had caught him by surprise. He was scared, and because of that he was angry.

"Hey!" Max scowled at him. "That's no way to behave!"

He bared his teeth at her at her. "I don't want her in here."

"There's nicer ways to get that point across than slamming a door in someone's face. Say you're sorry."

"Sorry," he said unapologetically. "Ten's changing out of his pajamas and I don't think anyone wants to see his scrawny butt naked."

Lissa shuddered, squeaked, and took a step back. Eleven grinned smugly in his head.

Sam looked him up and down. "Who are these kids again?"

"They're—err, they're Fang's kids," Max said. Lissa gave a squeak, and Eleven gave Max a confused look, and she returned it with an, 'I'll explain later,' kind of expression. "This is Eleven, the older one, and Ten's changing like he said."

Ten appeared at the door behind Eleven, pulling his shirt over his head. "What? I heard my name."

"Kiddo, this is Joey, and Lissa, and Sam," Max said. "They're friends of ours. Your father, your aunties, and I knew them back when we were younger. We went to school with them."

"Not the School," Sam said quickly. "Just regular old, boring, school."

Ten raised an eyebrow. "Mom went to school? Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously," Max said.

Ten simply couldn't accept this. "_Why_? Why would _anyone_ go to school willingly? I thought you hated school."

"I did," Max said. "We were forced into it by a woman named Anne."

"Why'd she go and do that for? Did you beat her up?"

"Ten!" Eleven groaned. "Shut up."

Ten scowled and elbowed him. Max rolled her eyes and turned to the others. "Anyway, what's up? Joey, you gotta have a good reason for being here."

"Everything's set up for the raid," he said. "My followers just contacted me to inform me that we should move soon."

She brushed her hair out of her eyes. "Alright. Whenever's a good time for you, go ahead and do it. It's your responsibility. Just tell me right before, and take either Sam or Lissa with you. They need the experience." She rolled her eyes. "I'll be glad to have them out of my hair."

"Aye-aye, captain," Joey said, and did a stiff salute. Eleven and Ten eyed him like he was insane, which he was, but they didn't know that.

Eleven scrunched up his nose. "What are you doin' on the raid?"

"It's a secret," Max said in a baby voice, and Eleven felt hatred rising up in his throat. He swore that if the baby voice continued, he'd kill her on the spot. Ten had his fingers in his mouth, and when she spoke to them like that he unthinkingly bit down hard, drawing blood and making her freak out. "Oh, God, Ten, not again!" She grabbed his arm and tugged him to the bathroom for the first aid kit.

"So your Fang's kid?" Lissa asked hesitantly. Her voice was breathy, like she was going to cry.

"Yeah," Eleven said frigidly. "He's my dad. What's it to ya?"

"Nothing, it's just..." She sucked in a breath. "We were together, you know? And I just thought...well, he'd still be available. Who's your mom?"

"I don't know where she is," Eleven said. It was true—he didn't know where Max was. And if this 'Lissa' person was in cahoots with Max's clone, he wasn't going to tell her.

Lissa tittered sadly. "That's too bad. It's good Max can take care of you though." She flipped her hair over her shoulder. "You've got your dad's attitude, you know that?"

"I just hope you don't start making eyes at _him _too," Sam said from where he'd been observing the goings on.

Lissa scowled and turned on him. "Oh, shut your trap, Sam! He's just a kid. Stop being such a jerk just 'cause you can't have any girl."

"For your information, Max said yes."

The quiet sobriety of his voice and his small, slightly smug smile was infuriating. Eleven clenched his jaw and tried not to narrow his eyes at this Sam person; anger was bubbling up hot as lava in his chest, burning like bile in his throat. He sucked in his breath quick and cold through his nostrils; the air that flooded his lungs did everything but cool his temper.

"No!" Lissa gasped, her jaw on the floor. "When was this?"

He smirked. "Just before we rescued the kids. We're going to try going out for ice cream again after this next raid, since we had such a good time the last time we went out."

"In like, high school!" Lissa hissed shrilly.

Sam rolled his eyes and looked at Eleven. "Ignore her," he said flatly.

"Gladly," was Eleven's icy reply.

Lissa shrieked, and Max yelled down the hall for her. With a wordless glare at Sam she left the pair. Sam snorted. "Idiot."

"I will never understand girls," Eleven said, and crossed his arms.

Sam nodded slowly, taking in the glare he was getting from the eleven year old hybrid. He could easily see that this boy didn't like him at all, and he wasn't surprised in the slightest. The boy's father hadn't liked him, either, he recalled, and it seemed that the son was no different. But there was something else.

"You don't like any of this, do you?" The way he said it was more of a statement than a question, and he continued on. "What are you gonna do, fly away? The whole world's like this, you're gonna have to fight it off, girls included."

"And I'll win," Eleven said, and it wasn't a boast. Sam could just feel that Eleven meant it heart and soul, and, for some reason, part of Sam believed it too.

He took a step forward and held out his hand. Eleven eyed it, and Sam gave a thin smile. "I don't know what's going to happen next," Sam said, "and I don't know what's going on right now. But kid, I like your style. Good luck."

Eleven took his hand warily. "Thank you."

* * *

o0XxrEdWiNgSxX0o: haaaayyy, wats uppp?

Mudd: My mood had been for a moment. Not anymore.

o0XxrEdWiNgSxX0o: wats that sposed 2 meen?

Mudd: Nothing, nothing. Anyway, what brings you to this deserted chatroom?

o0XxrEdWiNgSxX0o: i wuz hping 2 find Nick i meen Fang.

Mudd: So she capitalizes Nick and Fang, and can spell 'that' and 'find', but nothing else. Why oh why do I not like this person? Who are you, mystery FangGirl?

o0XxrEdWiNgSxX0o: lissa. teh 1 form holdon

Mudd: Mm'kay. Right.

_~o0XxrEdWiNgSxX0o has left the chatroom~_

_~Sable has entered the chatroom~_

Sable: Hey, Spence. Who was that? I caught the tail end of her leaving the chatroom.

Mudd: She says she's Lissa. From that one time with Anne or whoever it was. She's looking for Fang. She can't spell, type, punctuate correctly, or capitalize anything except tall, dark and emo's name. Both of his names, actually.

Sable: Ah. Why do I hate her already?

Mudd: And she probably won't even see us bashing her. Or understand it.

Sable: Pshh, yeah.

Sable: Wait. Shouldn't she be in her twenties right now? Like Fang?

Mudd: …This is scary.

_~o0XxrEdWiNgSxX0o has entered the chatroom~_

o0XxrEdWiNgSxX0o: back

o0XxrEdWiNgSxX0o: oooooooooh new person hiiii!

Sable: Mudd: Very scary.

Sable: Hi, Red. Or Lissa. Whoever you are.

o0XxrEdWiNgSxX0o: i'm lissa! yah! Who r u?

Sable: *points to name* Sable.

O0XxrEdWiNgSxX0o: ohhhhhhh srry im so stupid lol

Sable: No, really.

o0XxrEdWiNgSxX0o: wats that sposd 2 meen?

Sable: Sorry, talking to Mudd. Not you.

_~Mudd has Private Messaged you~_

Mudd: Close one.

Sable: Heh.

~_Sable has left the Private Chat~_

o0XxrEdWiNgSxX0o: so i wuz loking 4 Fang

Sable: He's not here right now. May I take a message?

o0XxrEdWiNgSxX0o: wat if i cant trust u? huhhhhhh!

o0XxrEdWiNgSxX0o: u culd b working 4 itexecon!

Sable: First of all, it's ITEX. If you ad 'icon', it's Itex**i**con. Secondly, you really can't read, can you? I'm a moderator on this site. I started the Family. Fang lists me as one of his contacts on his blog, and he talks about me in his blogs all the time. Look, if you want verification of my identity, let's go over to his site and go on the chats there. They all know me.

o0XxrEdWiNgSxX0o: u culd still b spis!

_~Mudd has Private Messaged you~_

Mudd: Translation: **You could still be spies.

Sable: I wouldn't be surprised if this really is Lissa, but something's up.

Mudd: I've got the same feeling. Let's just wait and see, though. Maybe she can give us some information.

_~Mudd has left the private chat~_

Mudd: How do we know _you're_ not a spy, "Lissa"? Do you know how many people we get claiming they're Lissa, or Sam, or whoever?

o0XxrEdWiNgSxX0o: im reall i swear~!

Mudd: Right. Anyway. If we believe you're real, you have to believe we're real. We'll get your message to Fang; he's somewhere where he can't reach us at the moment, for safety reasons, but as soon as we can get a hold of him, we'll tell him. Okay?

o0XxrEdWiNgSxX0o: ok…fine…

o0XxrEdWiNgSxX0o: so max has his kids + we where 1dring weather or not he wuz going 2 meet up w/ us the mall 4 next fri's attack

Mudd: What attack?

o0XxrEdWiNgSxX0o: uuuuuuhhhh i cnt bleave Fang didnt tell u! we r havin n attack on itexecon next fri!

Sable: What'll you be doing?

o0XxrEdWiNgSxX0o: lyk well b settin up bombs igg & gaz made 4 us & well b destroying there base its disguysed as a mall

_~Sable has Private Messaged you~_

Sable: WTF.

Mudd: This doesn't sound good.

Sable: Iggy and Gazzy say they have "no freaking clue" what this "batshit crazy woman" is talking about. I believe them.

Mudd: Ditto. Think we've found the people who bombed Dom's ITEX?

Sable: I think so. But she says she's talking to Max—and she knows about Ten and Eleven.

Mudd: You thinking what I'm thinking?

Sable: Imposter of some sort, and the boys are in trouble.

Mudd: You know, Joey was talking about some crazy stuff like this. I heard he's got some of the more bloodthirsty Fallen on his side as his avian vampires—and he's still just as crazy as ever about the Illuminati.

Sable: This is not whist. However, I do have my prototype for that hoverboard you had in the comic.

Mudd: Now that is Whist. Want me to go rescue the boys for you?

Sable: If you don't get yourself killed along the way, go ahead! I want Ten and Eleven safe, and if you can stop that bombing, I'd make you cookies.

Mudd: Alright. I'll leave tomorrow morning, drop by your place for the board, and then head out.

Sable: Good luck.

_~Mudd has left the private chat~_

o0XxrEdWiNgSxX0o: uhhh hellooooo?

Sable: Sorry, I was trying to contact Fang. No dice.

Mudd: And I have to leave now. G'night, Sabes, Lissa.

o0XxrEdWiNgSxX0o: nite!

Sable: Night, Mudd.

Sable: Anyway, I have to go as well, Lissa. I'll be sure to tell Fang. Where should I tell him to meet you?

o0XxrEdWiNgSxX0o: next fri at barnes & noble at the mall with the mcdonalds in forest city in co.

Sable: Alright. Well then, goodnight.

_~Sable has left the chatroom~_

_~Mudd has left the chatroom~_

o0XxrEdWiNgSxX0o: w8…

o0XxrEdWiNgSxX0o: dammit!

* * *

**Review? Please? Pretty please with bacon on top?**


	54. Chapter 54: Vroom Doom

**A/N: **_Apparently offering bacon in exchange for reviews worked. Thank you so much, those of you who reviewed the last chapter!_

"Alright," Joey said, "Lissa, you take the food court, Sam you take Victoria's Secret, and I'll go make sure no one escapes. Meet me out at the ski lodge place as soon as you can, and then we'll detonate the bombs."

"Okay," Lissa said, and ran off. Sam followed more slowly.

Joey pulled his walkie-talkie closer to his freakishly pink, girly lips. "They're off, Max."

There was a crackle of static as Max checked back in with, "Alright. Get out of there."

He was happy to oblige, and in about an hour he was at the ski lodge they were using as headquarters. It was freezing cold, and there was a thick layer of snow on the ground. A couple of people were out skiing and snowboarding, but there weren't very many of them. Joey felt free to walk around, waiting for something to happen. He stopped atop the crest of a snowy hill and pulled out his cell phone. After touching a few things and opening an app, the phone beeped and he flipped it sideways; a video opened up to reveal a very grumpy Maximum Ride. She was sitting with a Rubik's cube in a very dark place, her eyes narrow and her lips pursed.

When she saw the video camera on her end come alive and move, she scowled at it. She'd already tried to destroy it, but it had proved very resilient. Angry and unable to break free or destroy anything, she flipped Joey off and asked what the hell had happened to her kids.

Joey just smiled to himself and put his phone away again.

Looking up, he suddenly found that he was not alone. At the edge of a nearby cliff stood a young man, with a snowboard of sorts planted beside him, and his goggles pulled down firmly over his eyes as he stared out across the horizon. He was wearing a couple of layers, but Joey could see that he was thin and probably about two to four years younger than him.

He began walking towards the teenager; his combat boots crunched loudly through the snow.

_K-runch. K-runch. K-runch._

The young man's shoulders tensed as Joey approached. "What do _you_ want?"

"To talk. It's been a long while… Spencer."

"Tch! Not long enough." Spencer gave a small smirk, his expression otherwise invisible behind his goggles. "Alright, Ho Ho. Whassup?"

"Don't call me that." Joey glowered. "In short, I want you to join me. Together we can be great—we can bring down both ITEX and the Illuminati, and we can bring you back to your own time…"

"You still think I'm your son from the future?" Spencer shook his head. "I see _you're_ still on crack."

Joey simply smiled. "So…" His weirdly pink, bow-lips formed the syllable with creepy slowness. "What do you say?"

There was silence for a few minutes. Spencer looked down at the ground, his board shifting at his side. Then he looked up, the muscles in his jaw tense and flexing. "Screw you. Did you really think I'd go along with that?"

"Honestly? No."

Spencer immediately took a step back at the tone Joey had adopted. The crazy gleam in Joey's eyes, the way his pupils had shrunk and the way his smile had spread across his face, combined with the creepy edge to his voice, had made Spencer suddenly _very _nervous.

"That's why I brought this!"

When Joey pulled out a vicious looking knife, Spencer had had enough. He spun around, tossed his board in front of him, and jumped onto it.

"A hoverboard!" Joey exclaimed furiously, and swore.

Spencer grinned as he took off over the edge of the cliff, the wind in his hair. "Yup!" he said to himself with a laugh. "A hoverboard!"

He was shooting away down the slopes at a good speed by the time Joey had caught up. It seemed that Joey had gotten some money in his hands since Spencer had last seen him; upon Joey's back was a JetPak 3000, and Spencer knew that that thing wasn't cheap. They swerved around sharp corners and soared off of the edges of cliffs and outcroppings, testing the speed and maneuverability of Spencer's hoverboard and causing Joey's JetPak to splutter worryingly. Spencer pulled his body closer to his board and urged it to go faster, losing his hat along the way.

And then suddenly Joey was catching up with Spencer, nearly a foot out of arm's reach of the back of the hoverboard. Spencer glanced behind him and gritted his teeth.

"You can't escape!" Joey shouted.

"Pshh."

Instead of rounding a sharp turn, Spencer revved his board and went flying through empty air. He grabbed the front edge of his board and threw his weight back as hard as he could, bringing the bottom of the board completely parallel with the vertical cliff face that was coming toward him at terrible speeds. He didn't know if his board's propulsion system would be able to stop him, but he sure as heck new Joey wouldn't be able to follow him in the aftermath.

Exhilarated, Spencer shouted, "Oh, really?" over his shoulder.

_Boom!_

A cloud of snow filled the air, blinding anyone who might have been watching or involved. For a few moments, nothing could be seen nor heard.

And then Spencer shot out of the smoke and snow, streaking across the land about twenty feet up. He was grinning insanely, adrenaline pumping through his veins and the air in his lungs white hot with excitement. "Dang, that was epic!" he said to himself. "I love this thing!"

His hoverboard suddenly sparked and the soft hum it had made grew into a terrible _bzz bzzt!_ "Warning," a mechanical voice intoned. "Malfunction. Disengaging braces. Prepare for crash."

"SHIT."

Spencer was flung off the swiftly plummeting board and found himself rolling at an alarming speed down the steep slope below. He had no control over his movements and he had no idea what direction he was facing except face-to-the-snow and face-not-to-the-snow. To say that he was disoriented as he was flung down the hill was an understatement.

He hardly knew what hit him.

His head stopped moving seemingly a whole thirty seconds before the rest of his body did; there was a distant but very loud crack, and then pain flooded his senses and he opened his mouth in a gasp. Almost as soon as he parted his lips his eyes slipped shut, and he struggled to keep blackness from engulfing him. It was a futile effort.

_Crunch. Crunch. K-runch._

The sound of his boots masked the sound of wings and of their owner's landing on a rocky outcropping above the unconscious Spencer and his pursuer. Keen eyes watched as Joey took out a length of rope and began to tie Spencer up. Spencer came-to as Joey tightened the last knot, just in time to hear a voice call, "Hey, Joey…"

Joey nearly jumped fourteen feet in the air at the sound of that voice, and he spun around, his face contorting with anger at the sight of the Avian-American standing upon the cliff, barefoot, his scarf flying behind him just as epically as if it were Superman's cape.

"You _do _know that I'm the only one who's allowed to tie Spencer up?"

"You!" Joey snarled.

"Me."

The doppelgänger grinned cockily, his resemblance to the semi-conscious teenager below quite uncanny except for his huge, beautiful wings. He spread them and dove down to their level, his wings kicking up quite a bit of snow in the process. Spencer grinned at him. "Good old Pseudo. You can always count on a doppelgänger!"_ Fwoosh_ went Pseudo's wings as he landed, and Joey threw up his arms to cover his face. Pseudo brushed some snow off his shoulders, and Spencer said, "'Bout time you showed up."

Joey rounded angrily on Spencer.

"You mean you expected this?" he screamed.

"Pseudo and I do this pretty regularly. You of all people should know that, Joey."

"Shut up you jack—"

"Language, Hoho."

While Joey continued to scream at Spencer, and Spencer continued to add snarky comments to make the process continue again, Pseudo snuck up to Joey and stuck his hands up the bottom of the JetPak. He bit his tongue as he worked, thinking, _"_What a moron this guy is," to himself. He grinned when he heard the tell-tale _clunk, _and he coughed as black smoke poured out of the JetPak. He managed to get away just before Joey turned around, and he said, "Hey!" in conversational tones, grinning at Joey's outrage.

"What did you do?" Joey demanded furiously.

"Sabotaged your jetpack. Self-destruct in 10—oh wait. 5 seconds!"

Joey was horrified as he realized what the continuous clanking behind his back signaled. "You couldn't!" he spluttered.

Spencer smiled thinly. "Looks like he just did."

"Jetpak DETACH!" Joey shrieked, and the machine let go of the straps on his back and fell to the ground. Pseudo snickered.

"Just kidding," he said lightly, and then his expression changed. His eyes were suddenly quite evil, and his spread wings were threatening. "Let's go for a fly, shall we?"

"Unhand me! Let go!"

Pseudo blinked. "Alright!"

He let go obligingly, and wheeled slowly above as Joey screamed, "Noooooooooooooooooo!"

Pseudo made sure to wait until he knew that Joey wouldn't be getting back up, and then he flew back to where Spencer was waiting, his hands tied before him and his arms tied to his sides. He was quiet as Pseudo landed and slowly made his way through the snow toward him.

"So…" Pseudo looked at the ground with a dark look on his face. It seemed as if he were almost worried about what he'd just done…but Spencer knew better. Pseudo looked up and his eyes were untroubled and clear of everything but boredom. "Now what?"

"Well," Spencer said, "you could untie me."

Pseudo smiled.

"Nah."

* * *

"Joey?" Lissa called. "Joey?"

"Hey, Goldstein!" Sam shouted, and listened as the mountains replied, "—ein—ein—ein…"

After the echo faded away, there was ominous silence. Lissa hugged herself and grimaced. "Do you think something could have happened?" she asked hesitantly. "Like, an attack?"

Before Sam could reply (he was going to say that he didn't think so), the sound of boots crunching their way up the snowy hill reached their ears. Sam pushed Lissa behind him and put his hand in his pocket. Two people were coming toward the two humans; Sam could see that they were the same height, and that one was dressed warmly, with goggles, and the other was dressed for the city and had wings.

They were grinning as they came up. "You guys Sam and Lissa?" the one with the goggles asked.

"Maybe not," Sam said testily. "You are?"

The one who had spoken held out his hand. "I'm Spencer, Joey's son from the future."

Lissa gasped, and Sam's eyes widened. "He was telling the truth?" Lissa exclaimed disbelievingly. "No way!"

"I know what you mean," Spencer said. "He is a bit off his rocker. Anyway, he said he wanted me to tell you that there was a problem with the detonator and he's gone to try and fix it, and that for now he wants you guys to head back to the hotel Max and Fang's kids are. ITEX caught word of our attack and are coming for you guys, and it'd be best if you were out of the area when that happened."

Sam nodded. "That makes sense," he said slowly. "But who's this guy?"

Pseudo smiled icily, not parting his lips, and his eyes seemed red and scary. "This is my avian-vampire," Spencer said. "He's my body guard."

"Ahh, I see," Lissa said. "So, think we should get out of here before ITEX shows up?"

"Yeah," Spencer said. "Joey said he's going to stay here and if he can fix the detonator, he'll blow up the base and come back. If it doesn't work, though, he'll go and detonate them by hand and meet us back at the hotel."

Sam and Lissa nodded. "Alright," Sam said. "Who's driving?"

Spencer shrugged. "Whichever one of you two drove here can drive back, and we'll ride with you. Our ride kind of blew up."

Sam sighed. "Alright. Let's go."

* * *

Nudge was paler by at least three shades as she gripped her seat and squeezed her eyes shut. "PLEASE, somebody else drive!"

"Gladly!" Luce growled, but Alex's chortles drowned him out.

"What, you guys scared? It's open road! No one'll pull us over, there's nothing to crash into!"

"You'll _find _something to crash into," Dom growled. "Pull over."

Alex groaned but obeyed, and he got into the back seat beside Nudge. She crossed her arms and glowered at him as Luce got into the driver's seat and Dom went to the passenger's. "You seduced the driver's ed teacher, didn't you?"

"Nudge!" Alex looked crestfallen. "How can you think such a thing? Do I seem like the kind of person that would do that?"

She blushed, grinned, and looked away. He couldn't help but smile as well, and he pulled her free of her seatbelt and onto his lap, sling his arms around her waist, and press a very seductive whisper of, "Is that a yes, then, Nudgie?" into her hair.

She elbowed him, and Luce grumbled that he was going to be sick. Alex paused to shoot a glare at Luce and that was enough for Nudge to wriggle herself free. At his sad look she shook her head. "Not now, later but not now."

"Ugh," Luce said. "Don't discuss _those_ things around me, please!"

"Fine." Nudge ignored Alex's glaring at Luce. "Let's discuss food, then. I'm starving."

"We can stop in the next town, but then we'll have to drive all night," Dom said warningly. "We have to reach the boys before noon tomorrow, and then they'll move again and we'll have lost them."

"Then we need to stock up on food then unless you want my rumbling stomach to give us away." Nudge sighed dramatically. "We'll get the boys there's no doubt about that, but it doesn't help anybody if we starve."

Dom grumbled, and Nudge glowered at him. "What the heck happened to you, Dom? You've been nothing but a thorn in our sides since we rescued you!"

Dom shot her a look. "_Jeez_ Nudge, I _don't know._ Think on that for a minute would you?"

She blushed, but didn't relax her glare.

Dom bristled. "Holly _died_. I got _kidnapped_. I got a life-_threatening_, life-changing _surgery_ I didn't want, _again_. The world is going to _hell_, and we might or might not be able to rescue a couple of little kids. Why the _hell_ would you think _anything's_ wrong?"

"Not to mention you were in a bombed building."

"Shut _up,_ Alex." Nudge swallowed hard. "I know, Dom," she said icily, turning back to him, "but I'll be damned if I let you inflict it on the rest of us."

Alex glanced at her sharply. "Nudge—"

"It's the truth! We won't be able to get anything done if you keep inflicting your pain on us. Holly wouldn't have wanted it, Sable doesn't want it, none of us do either!"

Dom cursed and muttered something unintelligible. Luce shook his head. "I'm not pulling over for you to take off. You said it yourself we don't have enough time. Deal."

Dom put his face in his hands and sank down into his chair. Alex hugged Nudge tightly and rested his head against her shoulder; Luce sighed. Just what he needed. He turned on the radio.

"And we have an update on the ongoing revolts in Houston, Chicago, and Little Rock. The mutants have been conducting peaceful protests against ITEX and other such organizations. However, small groups of hybrids are leading violent attacks against ITEX, seemingly not caring that many times innocent men, women and even children are caught in the middle. Many prominent mutants have come out in the open with many strong statements against the violence and for the peaceful marches—but no organized leaders and groups actually seem to exist. Political commentators both for and against the Resistance have remarked on the need for one centralized leader and hierarchy within the mutant rebellion, and a way of communicating between groups, like a radio station, newspaper, or television news channel. Unfortunately, with the current government control over such things, the likelihood of such a method of communication is not very high…"

"Think that's part of Max's plan?" Alex wondered.

"I don't know," Luce said.

"Max always has a plan." Nudge smiled. "No telling what that plan is, but it's usually a good one."

"Yes," Alex said. "Indeed."

* * *

Ten picked at his corndog.

"I'm not really hungry."

Eleven scowled. "Eat anyway," he said shortly.

"Boys, nicely," Max sighed. Spencer chuckled and she scowled at him. "You're not on their side, are you?"

"Of course not," Spencer said defensively. "But I have two little brothers. It's in their nature."

"Then I'll make it not a part of their nature." Max rolled her eyes. "Somebody's gotta have some sort of manners around here."

"They're just kids, Max," Spencer said. "Can't you remember when you were that age? You fought with Fang _all _the time."

"No, I don't think we fought." Max sniffed. "I'm pretty sure he started it, and I finished it."

"That still counts as fighting." Spencer grinned. "But whatever."

"It so does not." Max rolled her eyes at him and checked her phone. "Shouldn't your dad or whatever Joey is have called by now?"

"When has he ever been on time?" Spencer rolled his eyes. "He's insane. He doesn't run on normal, human time."

"That's right." She snorted. "If you and him are telling the truth, and not that I care, but if you are then you know all about him screwing up time don't you?"

"Hell yeah," he said.

Ten's mouth popped open. "You need soap!"

"Oh hush up," Eleven said. "You're not his mother!"

Ten blushed.

"Eleven, be nice," Max snapped and brushed her hair out of her face. "Spencer, don't swear around them. Please. They're enough of a handful without that being brought up."

"Sorry, sorry," Spencer said, holding his hands up. "Anyway, come on guys. I'll make up for it by giving you some lessons in ninja-ness. Let's go, guys."

"Alright!" The boys pushed out from the table and ran after Spencer.

Max sighed and put her head in her hands. "They're such a handful," she groaned to Lissa, who had just walked in. "I don't know how their mother deals with them."

* * *

Spencer crouched behind the partially closed door to make sure that Lissa was fully distracting Max II; she was. Thus assured, Spencer turned from the door and gestured for the boys to run to the window. They obeyed silently, almost as quietly as their father might have. Eleven wore a backpack with all their earthly belongings in it.

Outside the window was Pseudo, perched on the roof.

Ten looked between Pseudo and Spencer with wide eyes. He didn't speak a word but his mouth formed a small 'o'. Eleven rolled his eyes and ignored the similarities; he walked right up to Pseudo and stared both him and Spencer down. "If she catches us then I'm blaming you."

"Then don't let her catch you," he snapped, and gave Eleven a shove out the window. Ten followed.

"Come on," Pseudo said. "We need to get you to safety."

"Sure, Mr. Clone." Ten fluttered his wings out of his jacket. "Where we headed?"

"Safety and your Aunt Nudge," Pseudo said. "We need to fly quickly. Now fly!"

He spread his own wings, and they were off. Spencer hung out for a while before heading back to Max with a grin on his face. "Those kids are awesome. I wore them out for you, they're in there asleep. Hey." He waved at Lissa and called over his shoulder at Max, already heading to the door, "I better go see what the heck Joey's got himself into now, I just got an 'urgent' message. I'll check in in an hour."

"Alright," they said without any sign of suspicion. Spencer vacated the premises immediately, getting into a taxi. He smiled to himself as he told the driver where to go—and he pulled out his cell phone.

_Spencer: _Boys are with my twin for dinner. Meet me for a Double-Double?

_Alex:_ Be there in fifteen. Starving.

The driver finally pulled over to a little side street, and Spencer was able to get out his phone and call Pseudo. "Hey. The others are on their way."

"'Kay. You won't believe who I just got a call from."

"Who?"

"Xingu."

"…Who?"

"Xingu. Y'know, that bird kid Sable was friends with but argued a lot with, and who was a bit of a jerk and probably a fake, and then disappeared? He apparently has a lead for us on Max."

"Do you think it's legit or that he's as messed up as Joey?" Spencer waved at a couple walking by.

"I think it's legit, but I'm having him call Sabes to verify. Anyway, I have to go now and get the boys to the rendezvous. Be there in a few."

Spencer hung up and leaned against a tree, watching the road. Eventually a green car stopped and honked at him, the driver gesturing for him to hurry up. Spencer rolled his eyes as he got in the back. "Hold your horses, it's not like you're my getaway driver or anything."

"I don't know about that," Alex said with a grin. "I think I see your little fanclub raising dust in the distance. What's that? _'Spencerrrr…Spencerrrr… Sign my soccer jersey…'"_

"Shut up."

"Make me." Alex made a face when Nudge knocked him over the back of the head. "Nudgie! What was that for?"

"Don't call me Nudgie! And you know what, you shouldn't be jealous just 'cause he's getting some attention. I'm here now, so_ shut up."_

"Come on," Spencer said, laughing. "Let's get to the place before I grow a beard." Alex sighed and floored it (well, as much as he could within the speed limit). Spencer leaned over and shook hands with Luce, and knocked fists with Dom. "Long time no see, guys," he said warmly.

Dom didn't respond, but Luce smiled. "It's good to see you, Spence."

"Yeah," Spence said with a smile, "and you too, Sourpuss." He settled back in his seat and ignored the change of expressions on Dom's face; the darker hybrid winced and looked somberly out the window.

Nudge pointedly ignored Dom. "So Spencer, the boys are okay? Did you get what exactly Max II and them are up to? What the heck are they trying to prove, and why did they need the boys? Was Max II trying to keep up appearances or something?"

"The boys are fine, just a bit scared and cautious. I did, actually, but not all from themselves. What ITEX's plan is, and it _is_ ITEX's plan, because Lissa's not smart enough to make it up and Sam isn't much of a leader and Max II is just a worker bee, ITEX wants to make people think the Resistance is messed up. All hybrids are murderers. All hybrids are mad at regular humans, rightly so, and are exacting bloody revenge. Blah blah blah."

Spencer took a breath. "They didn't need the boys. They just needed the real Max out of the way. Max II was trying and failing miserably to keep up the act as Max around the boys, and they saw it."

"Does she have some heart then? Why not just kill the boys?" Nudge frowned. "I mean, I'm glad she didn't obviously, but why didn't she even try? Maybe we could get her on our side eventually."

"She couldn't kill them because Lissa had already found out, and Lissa would have raised hell if she knew Max II killed Fang's kids. Max II just hadn't had an opportunity to make her move, but I'm sure she would have eventually. She didn't like them, I don't think. Maybe we could, maybe we couldn't—I don't know."

Nudge scowled. "I see. We need to beat up Max II after the boys are safe and figure out where Max is, even though she's probably busted out already, knowing her."

"I hope not," said Alex. "That'll just make finding her even harder—oh, here we are."

They parked the car and slowly got out, yawning and stretching. Dom volunteered to go inside and get food with Spencer, while the others decided to wait behind the car, inconspicuous and out of sight, for Pseudo and the boys to arrive. It wasn't long before they heard the _thwump_ _thwump_ of wings, and the doppelgänger and the two boys landed beside them.

Ten launched himself into the car. "Hi. Is there food yet? I'm hungry." Eleven and Pseudo rolled their eyes.

Nudge laughed. "I know what you mean," she said. "We're getting to it. Dom and Spence are inside getting dinner."

Ten poked his head back out of the car and looked up at her curiously. "You're Auntie Nudge, right?"

"Squee! He remembered!"

"That's a yes." He smiled at her, but when he looked at Alex and Luce he frowned and turned back to Eleven. "Uncle Luce is blonde with red eyes, so the other one is Uncle Alex, right?"

"Pleased to meet you, kid," Alex said in his smoothest voice, and shook hands with both of the kids.

"Pleasure, yeah," Luce repeated, and shook their hands as well.

Eleven studied Luce for a while before shrugging. "I'm not sure if you're as epic as Dad, but you might be an okay ninja." He smirked a Ten.

Ten immediately lunged at Luce and grabbed his hand. "He'll be a _great_ ninja!" he exclaimed. "No one can be as good as Dad, but he'll be a great one!"

"You know he's only saying it because _I_ said you'd only be an _okay_ ninja," Eleven retorted, but to Luce, who was grinning with amusement.

"Nuh-uh! I'm saying it 'cause it's true!" Ten grinned up at Luce. "We just gotta teach ya how to be a ninja first, you gotta learn to make awesome forts and everything!"

"First," Luce said, still grinning, "let's eat, and then find your mom. Then you can show me how to make forts."

Ten frowned instantly. "How are we gonna find Mom? Did that other Max spill something and we didn't catch it?"

"No," said Spencer as he came toward them laden with bags and bags of junk food. "She didn't slip up at all in that regards. I stole the info off of Joey's phone and got a call from someone who might know. Auntie Sable's helping, too."

"Sweet! Where is she? Did you get cookies? Mom'll like those."

"She's just on the other side of the Great Lakes," Pseudo said. "In Canadia."

"It's Canada," Eleven said, frowning. "Isn't it?"

"Oh, you have much to learn, young grasshopper," Nudge said with a grin.

Eleven shrugged and smiled. "Alright, let's go to this Canadia. We've got an army of ninjas, what do we got to lose?"

No one dared tell him that they might lose everything.


End file.
